To Defy
by BANIX
Summary: It is an irony that the meaning of my new name is the very definition of disorder when the new family I found myself in is one who preaches about upholding peace and order in Soul Society. My now deceased parents certainly have a dry sense of humour. But hey! At least I still have an overprotective emo-face brother and a doting grandfather! (Female reincarnated OC as a Kuchiki)
1. Chapter 1- Kuchiki Kurui

"Nii-sama!"

Byakuya gave a mental sigh and prepared himself for the small ball of energy and chaos known as Kurui. His peace and quiet came to an end the moment his younger sister spotted him stepping through the gates of their family manor. He stopped in his tracks and saw a little girl bounding up to him, allowing the child who hasn't even reach his waist to hug him around his legs the moment she reached his side.

"Rui, I am busy."

"You are always busy." Kurui gave a pout that immediately weaken his mental defences. "Spend some time with me! I'm _boooooooreed_."

"Have you finished your homework?"

"Nope!" Kurui chirped back happily. "Who cares about these boring stuffs anyway? Not like I will have to apply whatever was taught."

"Rui." Byakuya resist the urge to rest his palm on his forehead. Why? Why had his parents left him with a younger sister just right before they passed on? Why is he the one in charge of raising his sister? He is only in his teens.

"_Nii-saaaaamaaaaa_."

"Rui, don't bother your elder brother."

The voice of the 27th Head of the Kuchiki clan can be heard as Kuchiki Ginrei appeared beside them in a shunpo. His firm and wrinkled hand rested on Kurui's shoulder before he gently pulled her back to his side.

"Sofu." Byakuya greeted his grandfather politely and respectfully with a bow. His stern grandfather is the only one who can handle Kurui. The remnants of his peace and quiet can still be salvaged with him around.

It's not like Byakuya don't love his sister. On the contrary, he loves his sister dearly, but she has way too much energy for him to keep up. He has no idea who she took after in this regard. None of the members of their family is as hyperactive as his little sister.

His mother would definitely love her if she was still alive. The same goes for his father too, but they are already dead. They died not long after Kurui was born into their family. It was a mission went horribly wrong that claimed both their lives. His father was supposed to take over as the 28th Head of their clan, but his untimely demise had forced his grandfather to continue to lead the clan despite his old age. Now, the only candidate to be the next head of their clan is him, Kuchiki Byakuya. The future of his clan rest on his shoulders now.

And because of that, he hardly has any time for Kurui. Training under his grandfather on top of his duties as a Shinigami makes him an extremely busy man. He feels a little guilty for it. He is her elder brother and he knows just how attached she is to him and their grandfather.

If only his father was still alive, he would have more time for Kurui. If only his parents were alive, Kurui would be able to know what parental love is. They are no longer able to protect her now, so he will do it in their stead.

He will never let any harm befall on her.

Even with the stern and stoic mask that his grandfather always wore on his face, it is obvious that his grandfather has a soft spot for his youngest grandchild as well. Kurui never fails to brighten up their day and made the otherwise quiet manor a lively place. She is their sunshine.

Despite their love for Kurui, the one thing that he and his grandfather can never seem to drill in Kurui's head is their family's insistence on rules and order. Kurui is brought up the same as he was and was taught the same teachings as he had learned, but somehow, Kurui never turned out the same as the other members of their family. She defies every single rule that is put in place. She never went to bed when it is time to do so, she never greeted people with the proper honorifics in a formal setting no matter who they are, she never bothered to carry herself as a dignified noble lady no matter how much he and his grandfather had stressed that she has to, because she is a Kuchiki.

She is everything that a Kuchiki shouldn't be. Yet, it feels as if she belongs here all along. No matter how un-Kuchiki she is, the same Kuchiki blood run in her veins just as it run in him.

"Sooofuuu." Kurui whined as she tugged on the sleeves of their grandfather. "No more studying! _Pleeeeaaasseee_?"

"Your calligraphy-"

"It's not like I will be wielding a brush in battle when I become a Shinigami!" Kurui exclaimed with her hands flailing animatedly in the air. "Who even needs calligraphy skills in battle?!"

"You are a Kuchiki. As a lady of noble birth, you need to learn-"

"_SOOOFUUUU_~~~"

Ginrei gave an audible sigh of resignation. He may be the head of the clan and the Captain of the Sixth Division, he may be the strict and stern warrior that both his subordinates and enemies fear, but somehow, none of this matter in the face of his granddaughter. He just can't seem to be able to get her to act like a noble that she is born as. In front of her, he is just a grandfather that can't help but dote on his granddaughter.

"How about this? If you can catch me with your shunpo in a game of tag within ten minutes, then you will be excused from your homework for the rest of the day." Byakuya came to his grandfather's rescue and he can see the elderly man giving him a brief yet grateful look his way. "If you can't, then you will go back to finish your homework. Deal?"

Kurui immediately dashed from their grandfather's side in a burst of speed to attempt to tag Byakuya with a surprise attack, but Byakuya had saw it coming and disappeared with his own use of shunpo.

"I haven't said start yet."

"Nii-sama! Don't run! Stay right there and let me tag you!"

Ginrei walked back to sit on a wooden chair nearby and let a small smile rest on his face as he watches his grandchildren interacting with each other. Kurui is smart, extremely so. She must have known that she stands no chance in catching Byakuya with her current proficiency in shunpo, but she still tries anyway.

She just wants to spend some time with her brother.

As souls, they age differently from humans. The stronger the Reiatsu a soul has, the slower their aging process is. If he has to estimate Kurui's age using human's growth rate as a measuring stick, then Kurui is probably only about five to seven years of age although her small size makes her look even younger than she really is. Even then, her shunpo alone is scarily good and that is not considering her skills in using Kido. Even he didn't have the same proficiency as she did when he was her age. Her Hakuda and Zanjutsu are still lacking, but that is to be expected since she is still young.

If only Sojun, his daughter-in-law, and his wife are still alive, they would be proud of Kurui's achievements. His son and daughter-in-law will definitely smother Kurui with love and his wife will definitely spoil her. Kurui will have them wrapped around her little finger and they will not be able to resist.

"Nii-sama! Get back here!"

Ginrei watched on as Kurui chased after Byakuya, who maintains a fixed distance away from her. It seems that Byakuya's shunpo has improved, and so did Kurui. Byakuya's growth is expected, but Kurui? He wasn't expecting her to be able to keep up with Byakuya for as long as she did. Did she practice shunpo on her own without them knowing? Since when did she became so good at it?

"Time's up." Byakuya stated as Kurui simply collapsed and lay on her back panting for breath in a very un-ladylike manner. Both Ginrei and Byakuya frowned at the sight, but they know by now that it is a lost cause trying to lecture the youngest Kuchiki about her behaviour.

"Rui, at least try to sit up." Byakuya commented as he walked towards his sister before stopping a few steps in front of her. "It is unsightly to lie on your back like this in public."

"Don't' wanna~" Kurui sang back playfully with her long black hair splayed out on the ground around her. "And we are at our own home, not in public. I can do whatever I want in my own home."

In response, Byakuya plucked Kurui off the ground by grabbing the back of her kosode and lifted her up with one hand.

"You will catch a cold if you continue to lie here. If you want to continue to lie on the ground, at least do so in your own room."

"Nii-sama! Don't pick me up like a disobedient puppy! _This_ is unsightly!"

"_Now_ you are talking about what is unsightly and what's not?"

"Nii-sama! I am a girl! A lady! I should be treated like a queen, not a puppy!"

"You never act like one."

"I do!"

Ginrei shook his head with fond exasperation as his granddaughter bicker with her older brother. Kurui absolutely adore her older brother and Byakuya loves his younger sister deeply. He can still remember the time when Kurui was a toddler and she followed Byakuya everywhere, trying to learn and mimic what she saw he did.

"Go get yourselves changed." Ginrei broke the argument between the two siblings as he spoke in his deep voice. "It will be lunch soon."

"Yes, sofu." The siblings answered in unison before excusing themselves, with Byakuya carrying his sister back to her room with a piggyback, much to her delight.

He may have lost his son and daughter-in-law, but they left him with the best grandchildren he can ask for.

He will not let anything happen to them.

* * *

Byakuya sighed once more as he gently carried his sister in his arms. As per their agreement, Kurui has to finish her homework since she lost in their game of tag earlier. She had started on her calligraphy after lunch, but apparently this subject is too boring for her taste given how she had dozed off halfway into practising her brushstrokes and planted her face on the paper still wet with ink.

Byakuya slowly place his younger sister on her bed and used a clean cloth to wipe away the ink stains on her beautiful face. Her face shape and hair definitely took after their father, just as he did. However, her eyes are undoubtedly their mother's.

He can already see that Kurui will grow into one of the most beautiful women in Seireitei's history, just like their mother.

Byakuya turned around the moment he sensed his grandfather's presence, who put a finger to his lips in the gesture to keep quiet the moment he entered the room. None of them want to wake Kurui up from her sleep.

"She has worn herself out in the game of tag earlier." Byakuya said to his grandfather the moment the both of them left Kurui's room after tucking her in comfortably. "She had obviously put a lot of effort in practicing her shunpo in the days that I didn't see her. Her improvement is certainly shocking."

"She did." Ginrei confirmed. "Although I have no idea where she finds the time to do so. If she is not running about skiving off her lessons, she would be trying to find a way to exit the manor to explore what is outside."

Byakuya allowed a small smile on his face as he imagined his younger sister giving the entire manor a headache with her constant efforts in trying to sneak out undetected. There were a few times that she nearly succeeded, much to their horror.

A silence settled between the two of them before Ginrei spoke up once more.

"I am thinking of starting her on the more advanced aspects of the combat arts. She tends to avoid her homework, but she is smart. She may even surpass me one day."

"I have no doubt she will." Byakuya stated confidently. "She may slack off in her theory lessons, but she is a hard worker when it comes to learning and perfecting the four major combat forms. She will grow to be the strongest Kuchiki in our clan's history."

"You will too." Ginrei added. "You and your sister will be the greatest warriors in our clan's history."

The two of them entered Ginrei's study. Now that Kurui isn't here to distract them, they can finally start the lessons proper. There are still many things that Ginrei have to teach Byakuya before he can take over as the 28th Head of the Kuchiki clan.

* * *

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado #31: Shakkaho!"

Ginrei watched with unconcealed pride as his granddaughter successfully pulled off a Shakkaho. She has a very good grasp in controlling and utilising her Reiatsu, which is an immense boost in helping her master the Kido and Hoho combat arts. Give her a few more years and she could probably use a Shakkaho without an incantation but with the same effect.

He and Byakuya wasn't planning on starting Kurui to learn the combat arts at such a young age. It was just to satisfy her curiosity initially, since she was mesmerised at how Byakuya had done it when she first saw him practicing his Kido. They taught her one of the simplest spells, Bakudo #1: Sai. They weren't expecting her to get the hang of it or to even produce anything that has any resemblance to the spell. It was just to stop her incessant bugging to teach her how to use Kido.

They weren't expecting her to persevere and continuously practice the spell they taught her. By the end of the month, she had managed to successfully use the spell. The power was lacking, but she was very young back then and hence don't have much Reiatsu to fuel the spell. Her success had thrown him and Byakuya in for a loop.

Kurui picked up Kido spells much faster after she got the hang of using Sai. Ginrei and Byakuya also indulged her and taught her Kido spells they deemed safe enough for her to use at her age. Her rate of learning the Kido arts began to skyrocket after that. The same goes for the Hoho arts, where Byakuya personally taught her how to use shunpo.

Such progress at such a young age. His granddaughter is a prodigy. His little prodigy.

"Good job, Rui." Ginrei gave an affectionate pat on his granddaughter's head, who beamed at the praise. "Your mastery over Kido and Hoho is improving nicely. It's time we focus more on your Hakuda and Zanjutsu."

Kurui nodded as they both took a few steps backwards and got into a stance. A nod from Ginrei was all Kurui need as she dashed forward and immediately engaged her elder in hand-to-hand combat.

"Too low." Ginrei pointed out the flaws in his granddaughter's Hakuda as he easily parried a strike to his kidney. "Aim higher."

Kurui did just that but Ginrei intercepted her punch and flipped her over his shouder.

"Remember to not overextend yourself. Be unpredictable."

Kurui did a mid-air flip before landing on her feet. A low sweep of her legs forced Ginrei to jump upwards and Kurui used this opportunity to press on her attack, hoping to get a clean hit in.

"Too much strength." Ginrei caught his granddaughter's fist before punching her abdomen with just enough force to make her winded, but not hurting her. "Don't overcommit unless you are sure that you can take your opponent down in a single hit."

Kurui stood up straight again as she tried to catch her breath at the same time. Ginrei gave her a mental nod of approval at the sight. No matter how hard it seems, his granddaughter had never once backed down. She is a Kuchiki through and through.

The two of them continue to spar in this manner. Kurui's Hakuda is good, but she does not have the same talent in this art of combat as she does for the Hoho and Kido arts. She picked up the latter two as easy as breathing but her Hakuda is just unable to progress at the same rate. Thankfully, her Zanjutsu is more than enough to make up for it.

Kurui was out of breath at the fifteen-minute mark, which is already way past the expectation he has for her. He may not be going all out in their spar and he did not put much strength in his strikes, but he wasn't going easy on her either.

"We will end here for today." Ginrei said as he patted his granddaughter on her back to help ease her breathing. "We will continue to work on your stamina tomorrow."

Kurui's face blanched, but she did not complain. Ginrei knew that his granddaughter isn't exactly fond of physical exercises even if she can understand its importance.

"I will get the servants to make your favourite soup."

Ginrei let out a small chuckle when Kurui whooped in delight. He is her grandfather, spoiling her is part of the job description. He is allowed to dote on her.

"Hey, sofu, will we be practicing with real swords tomorrow?" Kurui asked him excitedly as the pair began to make their way back to the compound where they stay at.

"If you want to, we can." Ginrei decided after giving the request a few seconds of consideration. "It is better to start early than late when it comes to Zanjutsu."

"I wonder what kind of power my future Zanpakuto will have?" Kurui asked aloud. "I hope it doesn't have a lame ability."

"There are no such things as lame abilities, only users who do not know how to use them to their full potential." Ginrei chided his granddaughter and gently knocked her on the head with a knuckle. "Besides, you haven't even mastered Zanjutsu yet. You are still too early to even dream of using a shikai."

"But sofu~~~" Kurui gave her characteristic whine that he has no resistance to. "What if it is just an extremely lame ability like muscle strengthening? Or an ability that simply increase a Zanpakuto's cutting power? It will be so lame!"

"Well then, what isn't lame to you?" Ginrei raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Kurui's remark.

"Like the Captain Commander's ability to summon fire! That's cool! Imagine burning through everything! An unstoppable force of nature!" Kurui began to gesture excitedly. "Or maybe the ability to summon lightning! Move the earth! Complete control over air and water! And-"

"You have a hyperactive imagination." Ginrei said in amusement before ushering her into their house. "Sometimes I wonder where you get this trait from."

"You and Nii-sama are just too boring." Kurui playfully stuck her tongue out before dodging a swipe of his hand to her head. "Really, sofu, you need to learn how to unwind and have fun! You and Nii-sama can just sit still and say nothing the whole day! Someone has to talk!"

"You talk enough for the three of us." Ginrei replied. "Someone has to remain silent on your behalf."

"_Sofuuuuu_~"

* * *

**Definitions and meanings:**

**Kurui: Confusion, deviation, disorder**

**Sofu: Grandfather **

**Zanjutsu: Art of the sword**

**Kido: Demon Arts, a form of combat based on advanced spells**

**Hakuda: Hand-to-hand combat**

**Hoho: Fast movement, a defensive style of fighting relating to footwork. Shunpo falls under this category and is the greatest expression of the Hoho technique**

* * *

**AN: There are an increasing number of people asking me to write a story with a female oc as the protagonist. I had always wanted to try writing a fic about the Bleach verse and seeing at how Bleach is so male-oriented, it feels right to write about a female oc. I decided to let Kurui be a Kuchiki since her being one will allow her to interfere with the plot more easily, and because the Kuchiki is a more known and explained family in the Bleach verse as compared to the others. Furthermore, I think seeing Byakuya being an overprotective brother feels kind of amusing.**

**I'm still a little wary on writing a Bleach fanfic since canon itself is full of holes ever since the whole of Aizen arc is over. But meh, whatever.**

**In any case, I hope this is a good enough surprise/ fanservice for those who really wanted me to write about a female oc. Hope you guys enjoy it.**


	2. Chapter 2- The Shin'ō Academy

"Have you packed everything you need?"

Byakuya asked the same question for the umpteenth time that day as he looked at his younger sister. One moment she is still a little girl that barely reached his waist. A blink of an eye later, she had now grown up into a young woman in her teens who is now tall enough to reach his chest and enrolling into the Academy the next day.

How time flies.

"Stop being a worrywart, brother dear." Kurui teased Byakuya as she waved a finger in front of his face in that usual playful manner. "It won't be good for your health if you constantly worry yourself over nothing."

"If there's anything you need-"

"I will send you a letter to you and sofu."

"If the curriculum is too hard-"

"I can always ask you and sofu for advice. Or go to the instructor for help, or the friends that I make there."

"If you need spending money-"

"As always, send you and sofu a letter. Not that I spend much in the first place, so this point is moot. The only thing I spend my money on is food."

"If anyone bullies you-"

"I will beat them into an unrecognisable pulp and teach them to fear me."

"I believe the proper response I taught you is to tell me and sofu immediately." Byakuya said in a monotone. "As a lady of the Kuchiki clan, you shouldn't be getting yourself into a fight in the first place."

"I am training to be a _Shinigami_, Nii-sama. We fight all the time." Kurui said in a disapproving tone and flicked her long black hair backwards in an exaggerated manner. "And I may not be the best combatant out there, but I believe I can hold my own against fellow students."

Byakuya dragged a tired palm across his face. He should have known by now that their little princess doesn't follow the rules set by him and their grandfather. If anything, the rules follow her.

Kurui didn't pay attention to his gesture as she bent down and dug a little box out of her drawer.

"Here." Kurui handed Byakuya a small little rectangular box. "I won't be around to celebrate your upcoming birthday with you since I will be in the Academy, so I thought I will just give you your present in advance. Happy birthday, Nii-sama."

Byakuya took a second to get over the sudden surprise, but receive the gift nevertheless.

"Go ahead, open it up."

On Kurui's insistence, Byakuya opened up the box. In it sits a calligraphy brush, a very well-made and elegantly crafted brush.

"I remembered you said that your old brush doesn't work as well as it used to, so I decided that you may need a new one." Kurui added as she stands beside him to look at the brush as well. "It took me a long time to find a brush that you may like, but I think you will love it."

"I do." Byakuya said with a gentle smile on his face and ruffled his sister's hair with a hand. "Thank you."

"We are siblings, Nii-sama. There's no need to be so formal with each other."

"Sofu and I do have something for you as well." Byakuya said as he retrieved something from his robes and handed it to his sister. "You are of age now, so you can start to wear these."

Byakuya can see his sister's eyes widening at the object he had given her.

"Nii-sama! These are-"

"Kenseikan." Byakuya completed Kurui's sentence. "You are a member of the Kuchiki clan and you are finally of age, you will need to wear the kenseikan to symbolise your nobility as a member of one of the Four Noble Families."

Kurui went to stand in front of a mirror and carefully wear the kenseikan in her hair. A short moment later, Kurui stares at her reflection, taking in her new look.

"I take it that you like it." Byakuya spoke as he walked closer to get a better look at his sister. As expected, she looks beautiful in it.

"I love it." Kurui said in a soft whisper. "This is the best present ever, Nii-sama."

Kurui carefully took out the kenseikan from her hair, much to Byakuya's surprise.

"You don't want to wear it?"

"Erm…" Kurui stammered a little as she tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "It's just that I will be enrolling into the Academy soon, and I want people to see me not as _the_ Kuchiki, but as Kurui. I don't want them to assume that I have it easy simply because I am born a noble…"

Kurui's voice descended into almost a whisper towards the end of her speech, as if she is afraid that she had spoken out of line. She worries too much.

"I understand." Byakuya reassured his sister and placed a hand on her shoulder to show his support. "I was the same too when I was in the academy. However, you will still need to wear your kenseikan in formal events. Other than that, as an Academy student you are free to choose when you want to wear it. Once you become a full-fledged Shinigami, then you will need to wear it at all times."

"You and sofu won't be too lonely without me around, will you?" Kurui changed the topic as she gave him a sly look, which immediately got the alarm bells in his head ringing loudly. She couldn't have found out about Hisana already, could she?

"We can finally have our long-awaited peace and quiet. We cannot wait for you to enrol in the Academy already."

"_Awww_, don't be such a tsundere, brother dear~~"

"Insufferable brat."

"You know, if you ever feel a little lonely in this big mansion, you can always go and find yourself a wife. I will love to have a Nee-san." Kurui's sly look returned, which unsettled Byakuya as the bells in his head rang even louder. "I wonder what kind of woman will grab your attention?"

"Stop thinking of useless stuffs." Byakuya reprimanded his sister and push his sister's head away from him with a single finger poking at her forehead. "If you have so much time on your hands, use it to think on how you can survive the Academy."

"Nii-sama, thinking of getting rid of me so soon?" Kurui put her hands on her hips and glared upwards at him with a look of mock annoyance. "You will miss my chattering before the sun sets tomorrow, I guarantee you."

"No, I won't."

"Yes, you will." Kurui argued back before pulling him with her out of her room. "Since it will be a while before we can see each other again and I am in such a good mood, I will prepare sofu's and your favourite dish for dinner today. You are helping me."

"You can always leave such chores to-"

"Is it wrong for a sister to want to personally prepare a meal for her brother and grandfather?"

Byakuya didn't speak further. In all honesty, even if Kurui doesn't want to be a Shinigami and chose to live the rest of her life as a princess, he and his grandfather will take care of her properly until she found the man she loves and marry him. She is their princess, there is no need for her to do these things known as chores. She deserves the best treatment the world has to offer.

The servants all gave a polite bow to them as they spotted the siblings making their way to the kitchen and Kurui returned it with a cheerful wave. Byakuya is pretty much indifferent to this although he will usually acknowledge them with a mere nod of his head. Unlike his stoic behaviour, Kurui's personality makes her very approachable and she treats their clan's servants with respect and kindness, something that some of the other Noble Families don't do. Many of the servants here had watched them grow up, and all of them love the bubbly and lively princess of the Kuchiki clan. She cares for them and treats them as her equal despite the difference in their status and in turn, the servants treat her with utmost reverence.

"Kurui-sama! There's no need for you to do this lowly job! Let us do it!" The Head Chef of the kitchen spoke in a flustered manner the moment Kurui entered the kitchen and began to pick the ingredients she needs from the shelf. This isn't her first time here, and every time she tries to cook something in the kitchen the staffs there will try and stop her. Cooking is something beneath someone of Kurui's status. It is a job left for the commoners.

"Just leave it, there's no stopping her once she decided on something." Byakuya cuts in as he joins his sister in picking out what they need. He still has no idea how Kurui learnt to cook behind everyone's backs. The first time she tried it by herself, the meal she prepared was a blackened mess. Somehow, her skills had magically improved by leaps and bounds over time without them aware of it. She would make a good Onmitsukido with how good she is at doing things without anyone realising. However, Kurui had told him that she is not interested in joining the Covert Ops, so the chances of her ending up in the Second Division is close to nil.

It may be for the better. The Onmitsukido's job scope can put them in perilous situations, something that he doesn't want to see his beloved sister in. Being a normal Shinigami is safer for her.

The siblings prepared the meal together as Byakuya silently listened to Kurui telling him what she had done for the day. She is right, he will miss her chattering before the sun sets tomorrow.

Not like he will ever admit that to her. He has an image to uphold after all.

* * *

"Class #1… where is the classroom for Class #1?" Hisagi Shuhei muttered to himself as he walked through the long corridor. The welcoming ceremony for new students had just ended and they are all dismissed to find the classroom that their assigned class will be using for the academic year.

Shuhei walked briskly as he looked at the signs of each of the classrooms that he passed by. He should be nearing his classroom soon. He adjusted the position of his right arm, which is used to carry a stack of textbooks and increase his walking pace before turning around a corner.

"Ah!"

A high-pitched yelp was his only warning the moment he made a turn around the corner. A girl with long black hair tied up in a high ponytail nearly collided into him and him into her. However, what the girl did next had him stumped.

They would have collided if it wasn't for how the girl avoided that outcome by suddenly bending backwards at a near ninety-degree angle and spun on her left foot at the same time, changing her position with just a single step.

A very basic yet difficult application of the Hoho technique. To apply it so flawlessly and suddenly spoke volumes on how much practice she had in this combat art.

"Ehehe… sorry about that." The girl rubbed the back of her head sheepishly with a hand as her other arm carried a stack of books just like he did. "I wasn't looking at where I was going."

"It is my fault as well." Shuhei apologised quickly. "I was searching for my classroom, so I didn't pay much attention to what was happening around me. Are you hurt?"

"Nope!" The girl chirped back happily. "By any chance, do you know where the classroom for Class #1 is? I searched the corridor over there to no avail." The girl ended her sentence by pointing at where she had just come from.

"You are in Class #1 too?" Shuhei asked curiously. This is a pleasant surprise. There is no one that he knew that is also in the Academy like him and making a friend on his first day here sounds like a nice idea.

"You too?!" The girl asked excitedly with wide eyes. "Great! We can find the classroom together!"

The two of them carried on walking through the last unexplored corridor and eventually found the classroom that they were searching for. Thankfully, it seems that they had made it in time. There weren't many seats left, so the two of them chose to sit at the corner of the classroom side by side.

"I haven't got around to introduce myself, have I?" Shuhei took the initiative as he officially introduced himself. "I am Hisagi Shuhei, it is a pleasure to meet you."

Shuhei can see the girl's eyes widening slightly in surprise but that look disappeared as quickly as it had come. The girl gave him a bright smile, one that he will grow used to seeing in the future.

"Call me Kurui! It's nice to meet you, Shuhei!"

* * *

Kurui is both smart and strong.

That is Shuhei's impression of Kurui after his first week in the Academy. She is the first friend that he had made in the Academy and he is the first person she had befriended too.

The biggest surprise came when he learnt that she is a Kuchiki.

He had thought that he had heard wrongly when their instructor was taking attendance and calling out their names one by one, but when he saw the same stupefied look on everyone's else faces, he knew that his ears were working just fine.

He could have never guessed that Kurui is a noble given how approachable she is. He had heard from many others before he enrolled in the Academy, telling him how snobbish and uptight these nobles are. Kurui looked suitably uncomfortable too when the instructor called out her full name. She is the only noble from the Four Great Noble Families in their year. Her family name alone is enough to garner a lot of attention.

Despite the differences in their status, Kurui had never once shunned or ostracise him for being a commoner born in the Rukongai. She treats him and everyone else as her equal. Her ever cheery demeanour is infectious and she soon became friends with everyone in the class. Unlike him, she is a social butterfly.

She is also strong. In their class's first sparring session, she actually managed to even take on most of the guys in her class without much effort. It is obvious that her family had trained her extensively even before she enrolled into the Academy. However, she did not lord over them about her victory like some of the guys did when they won their spars, but instead helped them with whatever they are struggling at as long as she is free to do so.

She is very different from what he had heard about nobles that had grown up in the Seireitei.

Even with the huge number of friends that she had made, Kurui had never forgotten about him and the two will spend time regularly with each other, be it helping each other with their homework or just to unwind and relax after a long day. Shuhei mainly helped her in practicing her Hakuda, which Kurui had admitted will never be her strong suit. However, it is obvious that Kurui's proficiency in Kido, Hoho, and Zanjutsu is more than enough to make up for it. Shuhei is unfamiliar with Kido, a common problem that students that came from the Rukongai will struggle with when they just enter the Academy. If it wasn't for Kurui teaching him what she knew, he cannot even begin to imagine just how much harder it will be for him to learn how to cast spells.

By the time they are six months into their first year, the two of them had become good friends with each other along with Kanisawa and Aoga. The four of them grew to be a tightly knitted group. Kurui didn't mind that the three of them came from the Rukongai, and the three of them didn't treat her any different from the rest of them because she was born a noble. It was a relief for Kurui, since she doesn't like getting preferential treatment simply because she is a Kuchiki. Shuhei knew that Kurui has her own pride and she wants to be acknowledged not because of her status as a noble, but because of the skills and power that she had gained with her own hard work.

"Shuhei!" Kurui called out to him excitedly and waved a hand frantically in the air the moment she spotted him. "Over here!"

Shuhei spotted Kanisawa with Kurui beneath the shade of a large tree where they are sharpening and polishing their Zanpakuto which they had just received three days ago. Their Zanpakuto are still asauchis, since none of them are strong enough yet to learn the name of the sword they now wield. Shuhei himself hasn't had much luck in this issue either.

Shuhei walked over and sat down beside Kurui, who is now inspecting the condition of her Zanpakuto with a critical eye. Satisfied with what she sees, she gave it a few practice swings with an arm before sheathing it once more.

"There will be a field lesson tomorrow on how to combat hollows, excited?" Kurui asked him with an eager gleam in her eyes.

"A little." Shuhei responded as he took a piece of cloth and began to polish his own sword as well. Maybe doing so will get him to be able to converse with his Zanpakuto sooner. "But it will be dummy hollows, not the real thing. There's nothing much to be excited about."

"I heard that the field lesson will be held in the outer district of the Rukongai and that there may be a chance for us to encounter real hollows, no matter how small it is." Kanisawa added. "We should still be careful."

Kurui gave a hum of agreement as she stood up and began to go through the repetitive motions of her Zanjutsu kata. She had said that it is an ingrained habit of hers ever since her grandfather taught her how to properly wield a sword, claiming that she did it so frequently when she was younger that now she will feel uneasy if she did not at least practice her Zanjutsu once everyday.

With so much hard work put into honing her skills ever since she was a kid, it is no wonder that Kurui is as strong as she is right now.

"Where's Aoga anyway?" Shuhei asked as he gave a brief look at his surroundings, searching for their tall and lanky friend. There are no signs of him.

"He is performing Jinzen in some secluded corner. Someone is impatient in trying to learn the name of their Zanpakuto." Kurui added the last part with a slight laugh as she continues to swing her blade without stopping or slowing down. "Something about wanting to try and be the first Shinigami ever to learn the name of their sword as a freshman."

"A little too ambitious, if you ask me." Kanisawa added dryly from the side as she also finished up with maintaining her blade.

"At least we can give him an A for effort." Shuhei shrugged as he gave his blade a few practice swings like what Kurui had done earlier. It feels just right to hold his blade in his hand, like this particular sword is made just for him.

"A spar with only Zanjutsu?" Kurui gave him a cheeky grin as she ended her kata. "Loser helps to do the homework for the winner for the whole of next week."

"No thanks." Shuhei and Kanisawa chorused. Kurui is the best among them in Zanjutsu and Kido. No way they will fight her in a spar with only Zanjutsu.

"I will go easy on you?"

"Still a no." Kanisawa emphasised her point as she crossed her arms in an 'X' at her front.

"Awww, pleeeeassse?"

"Please what?"

Aoga announced his presence as he appeared from wherever he had been performing his Jinzen.

"Aoga! None of them want to spar with me using only Zanjutsu! They are mean!"

"No one in class wants to go up against you in a Zanjutsu spar." Aoga retorted as he tilted his head downwards to face the petite girl. "Your swordsmanship is wickedly strong."

"Aoga! Not you too!"

"How did your Jinzen go?" Kanisawa changed the topic before Kurui goes into her whining mode at full blast. "Made any progress?"

"Sadly, no." Aoga sighed as he moved to take a sit with his friends. "Not even a little."

"Nii-sama did say it will take some time for Zanpakutos to open up to their wielder." Kurui commented as she continues to practice her Zanjutsu on her own not far from where they are. "Although he also says that the exact time differs for every- **_EEK_**!"

Kurui's sudden scream got them standing up on their feet immediately. A burst of shunpo from Kurui later, Shuhei suddenly found a black-haired girl at his back and using him as a human shield.

"Kurui? What's wrong?!"

"B-B-Bugs!" Kurui pointed a finger at the tree in front of them. The three of them squinted their eyes to get a better look.

"Oh, you mean this?" Shuhei said with an evil grin on his face as he gently grabbed the small spider dangling from the branch with its thread. Kurui immediately bolted to hide behind Kanisawa the moment she saw Shuhei doing that.

"I can't believe you are scared of a small measly spider." Kanisawa huffed out. "You are training to be a Shinigami, Kurui."

"But it's a **SPIDER**!" Kurui shouted back nervously. "And stay away from me, Shuhei! Don't bring that abomination here!"

"But Kurui, look at how cute and harmless it is." Shuhei purposely cooed out in a smothering tone as he patted the small spider sitting on his palm with a single finger. "Your words just hurt the feelings of this little spider, how could you?"

"S-Stay back!" Kurui unsheathed and pointed her Zanpakuto at Shuhei the moment he walked closer to Kurui with the little spider in hand. "O-Or else…"

Shuhei exchanged knowing smirks with Aoga and Kanisawa, which did not go amiss by the princess of the Kuchicki clan seeing as she immediately made her escape with a burst of speed.

"Get her!"

"Don't let her escape!"

"You need to apologise to Mr. Spidey, Kurui!"

"GET THE SPIDER AWAY FROM ME YOU EVIL PEOPLE! AHHH!"

* * *

**Definitions and meanings:**

**Jinzen: Sword Meditation**

**Onmitsukido: Secret tactics (also known as the Stealth Force, Secret Mobile Corps, Special Forces, Covert Ops)**

**Rukongai: Wandering Soul City**

* * *

**AN: Kanisawa and Aoga are canon characters in the anime, where they and Shuhei helped lead the freshmen class of Class #1 for a field lesson to teach them how to perform a Konso when Renji, Izuru, and Hinamori were students of Class #1. In the anime, Kanisawa was killed by a surprise hollow attack during the field lesson. Aoga and Shuhei survived.**


	3. Chapter 3- Hollow Encounter

"Seriously, how bad are we with directions that we can get lost even with a map in hand?" Kurui said in annoyance as she brushed off some stray leaves that had caught themselves in her hair. "We didn't even spot a single dummy hollow. Are we even in the designated training area? Maybe we had walked out of it without realising?"

"Pretty sure we would have bumped into the barrier put up by the Kido corps if that were the case." Shuhei reassured the shortest member of their group as he cleared the way in front of them with a few swings of his sword. There are just too many branches blocking their way.

"I'm sure that it is this way." Aoga insisted as he scrutinised the map for the umpteenth time, prompting everyone to glare at him.

"You have been saying this for the last forty minutes. You suck at directions, Aoga." Kanisawa said as she snatched the map away from the tall guy with no sense of direction. "Let the pros do it."

With Kanisawa now leading the way, the group of four who had grouped up to practice tracking and fighting dummy hollows for the field lesson changed course.

"Stop sulking, Aoga."

"I'm _not_ sulking, Kurui."

"Keep telling yourself that." Kanisawa said without turning to look at Aoga. "See, we just found our first target. Got anything to say?"

The four of them silently peered through the large bush that they had found themselves hidden behind. Following Kanisawa's outstretched finger, they can see a dummy hollow pacing about in a small clearing about ten meters downwards from their elevation.

"She got you there." Shuhei gave Aoga a comforting pat on the back as he finally came to terms with the fact that he sucks in navigation. "How are we doing this?"

"Two of us act as decoys and the other two finish it off?" Kurui suggested as she tied her long hair up in a ponytail so that it will not get in her way later.

"Agree." Kanisawa voiced her agreement and slung an arm around Kurui. "Kurui and I will be the decoys, you boys can go for the kill."

"Fine by me." Aoga said as he withdrew the blade on his back without a single sound.

"Let's go then."

Without further ado, Kanisawa and Kurui jumped down into the clearing to face the dummy hollow and get its attention. None of them had seen a real hollow before but seeing even a dummy hollow up close gives them the chill running through their bones.

This particular dummy hollow has four legs and the large shell on its back gives it an insectoid look. The dummy hollow noticed Kanisawa and Kurui's presence immediately and turned to face them before giving out an ear-splitting screech.

"Bakudo #4: Hainawa!"

Kurui fired the first shot as she generated a yellow rope made of energy and threw it at the hollow, which wrapped around it immediately in an attempt to immobilize its target just as Kanisawa dashed forward to slash at the dummy with her Zanpakuto. Shuhei and Aoga took this chance and appeared at the hollow's back. A swing of their swords later, a bloody limb was sent flying in the air before dropping back down onto the ground.

"Uh… guys? Are dummy hollows supposed to have blood?"

Aoga's question made them take a brief pause in their actions as they quickly glanced at the dismembered limb and back at the hollow, which is now screeching furiously in pain.

"Uh, I don't think so?"

"Shit! This is a real hollow, run!"

Shuhei's words instantly got everyone to jumped back just as the hollow broke free of its constraints and roared at them in fury.

"Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!" Kurui started her incantation for her next Kido spell as she ran beside her friends with the enraged hollow chasing after them. Upon completing her incantation, she spun around and fired her spell at the hollow.

"Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro!"

Six wide, thin beams of yellow energy shot from the tip of Kurui's index finger and slammed into the hollow at its midsection, holding it in place.

"Run! I am not yet good enough in this spell to hold it for long!"

The group of four continue to make their escape, only to find their escape route cut off by another hollow. They changed directions immediately, only to be met with the same results.

"That screech earlier! The first hollow must have called for reinforcements!"

"Damn it!"

The four Shinigami-in-training stood with their swords drawn and their backs pressed to each other when more of these hollows swarmed out from every nook and cranny. How did they go unnoticed earlier?

Kurui whipped out a small bamboo container, raised it into the air, and pulled on a string attached to it. A red flare of light shot to the sky which got everyone's brief attention to it, including the hollows.

"Kurui?"

"Just calling for reinforcements. We need to hold out until then." Kurui stated with grim determination as she held her Zanpakuto with both hands. "This is really bad. Either we ventured really far out from the designated training area, or there is a security leak somehow. We are not supposed to encounter real hollows."

"You don't say?" Kanisawa shot back.

"Save the snark for later!" Aoga shouted as one of the hollows started to charge at them.

"Let me."

Kurui sucked in a breath before disappearing right in front of their eyes with a shunpo. A second later, the hollow was bisected into two with Kurui behind it.

"Nice!" Shuhei can't help but let out a happy shout at the sight.

"Incoming!"

More and more of the hollows jumped in and the four of them have no choice but to try their best to survive, slashing at any hollows they can see that is within the reach of their blades.

"Shuhei! Behind you!"

Kanisawa's shout got Shuhei spinning around. It was just in time too, as a large claw-like appendage slammed into the area that he was at. However, Shuhei is now separated from his friends and is left to fight alone.

"Shuhei!"

"Go! I will hold them back! Go get the instructors! Run! Get out of here while you still can!"

"Like hell I will! Hado #31: Shakkaho!"

A huge orb of crimson red energy blasted some of these hollow backwards as Kurui charged in. Even in a real combat, Kurui's movements makes her look as if she is doing an elegant dance instead of fighting for her life. The katas of the various Zanjutsu styles that had become so ingrained in her took form as she expertly slashed, parried, and blocked in one fluid motion, allowing her to reach Shuhei's side in a short amount of time.

"What are you doing here?! Get away!"

"Hey! I risked my life trying to save you and this is what I get?! Shuhei, you big meanie!"

"You know this is not what I meant!"

"Can you two stop arguing?! More fighting, less talking!"

Aoga and Kanisawa had also somehow managed to reach them in this short amount of time as the four of them regrouped and defend themselves from the hollows.

"Kurui, when is the reinforcements that you called for going to arrive?!"

"Soon!" Kurui dodged a slash from a hollow's scythe-like limbs before gutting it with her blade. "I hope!"

"You _HOPE_?!"

"Hey! We are in the outer districts of the Rukongai! There is no guarantee that the signal flare will be spotted!"

"And where are the instructors?!"

"Eaten up by these hollows, maybe?" Kurui's motormouth kept on running even with the circumstances she found herself in as she somersaulted over a hollow before cutting it down. "Or maybe they quit their jobs halfway into our field lesson and decide to leave us here to fend for ourselves? Or maybe-"

"Not now, Kurui!"

Just then, beams of light rained down from the sky and the hollows fell one by one the moment they are struck.

"That's Hado #4: Byakurai!" Kanisawa said in excitement as she recognised the Kido spell used to save them. "Reinforcements are here!"

Groups of individuals dressed in purple ninja-like outfits and wearing headbands with the Kuchiki name written on it in Kanji appeared from within the dense foliage. The first group immediately surround themselves protectively around the four of them. More of them appeared and moved to combat the hollows, who are now being pushed back by the sudden appearance of these people.

"Forgive our tardiness, Lady Kurui." One of the purple ninjas, obviously the leader of the group, got down onto a knee with a respectful bow in Kurui's direction. "We will accept any punishment given to us."

"And why would I punish you, Gonzo-san?" Kurui asked as her playful demeanour returned. "You arrived just in time. Now, judging by the time of your arrival, Nii-sama would be arriving in about three, two-"

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

"One." Kurui finished lamely as waves of pink petals flew in from within the dense foliage and ripped the remaining hollows into shreds, much to the amazement of her friends. Kurui didn't seem to share the same sentiments as she turned to where the petals had flown from and shouted at a group of trees.

"Nii-sama! You are late! L-A-T-E late!"

"Gonzo isn't late and yet I am?"

A cold looking man with slate gray eyes and long hair as black as Kurui's walked out of the group of trees. He stopped the moment he is in front of Kurui, who has her hands on her hips and looked up at her brother with a pout.

"I don't care, you are late. Do you know how scared I was?"

Shuhei, Aoga, and Kanisawa nearly did a spit-take at Kurui's words. _Kurui was scared_? She was the most fearless among them when their situation suddenly took a turn for the worst, slashing at every hollow she can reach with no hints of fear on her face.

Judging by the look the elder Kuchiki is giving Kurui, he shares the same view as them.

"If you can still be so lively after your first encounter with a hollow, then you are alright." Kurui's older brother stated blandly and looked at the battle ahead. Most of the hollows had already been taken care of in the short amount of time the two Kuchikis are bantering with each other.

"Oh, I haven't introduced you to my friends yet, right?" Kurui dragged her older brother by his arm to where the three of them are. "This is Shuhei, the tall one is Aoga, and she is Kanisawa. Guys, this is my older brother Byakuya. Say hi!"

"Thank you for tolerating my sister." Byakuya said to the three of them in his emotionless voice and ignored the harsh glare Kurui is sending his way. "I know how hard it can be to endure her incessant chattering."

"I-It's nice to meet you, Kuchiki-sama." Kanisawa stuttered out on their behalf. Byakuya is the current vice-captain of the 6th Division, which is led by Captain Kuchiki Ginrei, the current Captain of said division and Kurui's and Byakuya's grandfather. There are talks that Byakuya will soon succeed his grandfather to be the next Head of the Kuchiki clan and also the Captain of the Sixth Division. Usually, Academy students like them would never have the chance to meet such a high-ranking officer, let alone converse with them.

"Lord Byakuya, Lady Kurui. The hollows have been dealt with."

The group of purple ninjas which Shuhei realised must be the Kuchiki clan personal guards all knelt down in front of the Kuchiki siblings, awaiting their next command.

"In that case, let's return. I still have work to do back at the barracks."

"You need to get a life and stop working all day long, Nii-sama." Kurui chided her older brother. "You are still young and yet you act like an old man. Who will want to marry you?"

"I am a vice-captain, Rui. There are many things for me to do and handle."

Kurui childishly stuck her tongue out at her brother as the group started to head back.

"Nii-sama, why are there hollows here?"

"That's what I want to know too. You guys may be at the very edge of the designated training area, but the barrier the Kido Corps had put up should have prevented any hollows from making their way in. They shouldn't be here in the first place."

"Is this… intentional?"

Kurui's question quickly changed the atmosphere into a tense one. Shuhei can see Byakuya discretely clenching his fist before relaxing again.

"If it is, then I will make sure that they will never do it again."

* * *

In the end, no one managed to find out why and how the hollows appeared. The incident also somehow made the four of them famous among their peers in the Academy, since they are the first freshmen to encounter a group of real hollows and lived to tell the tale.

"Never thought we would become celebrities." Kanisawa muttered as the four of them cooped themselves up in Shuhei's and Aoga's shared room to complete their written assignment. The only one relaxing and not doing anything is Kurui, who is humming a merry tune as she polishes her Zanpakuto.

"Kurui, you finished your assignment?"

"Nope!"

"Onabara sensei will be mad at you if you don't complete your assignment." Shuhei said tiredly. This isn't the first time Kurui had decided to skip out on completing her assignments. However, she still somehow manages to maintain an overall passing grade for every subject by acing all her tests despite the number of 'F's she scored for her assignments, one of the important components that contributes to their overall grade at the end of the year.

"Assignments are _boring_, Shuhei. Grades are useless once you get out of the Academy anyway. It is just a steppingstone that you can do with or without. If you are truly good, people will still want you in their division even if you failed every single curriculum in the Academy. Just look at the Kenpachis. How many of them did well in their time at the Academy?"

"That's actually a valid point." Aoga scratched his chin in thought. "Maybe I should just skip out on this assignment as well?"

"You don't have the ability to score full marks for all of your tests, Aoga." Kanisawa brought him back down to reality with that harsh remark. "So just shut up and continue to do your assignments."

"Anyone of you interested to stay over at my house during the summer break after our exams?" Kurui asked out loud. "I mean, if you guys want to, that is."

The three Rukongai-born friends gave each other a brief look.

"Kurui." Shuhei spoke slowly, afraid of offending Kurui or somehow cause her to misunderstand his words. "You are a noble, and we are just-"

"You guys are my friends." Kurui stated with a tilt of her head, as if she cannot understand why the difference in the circumstances of their birth will mean anything. "Sofu and Nii-sama are also interested in meeting the three of you ever since I told them that you are my friends. If our status is your main concern, then don't worry about it. Sofu and Nii-sama are really uptight when it comes to rules, but they don't discriminate others because of their status. In fact, sofu just wrote to me saying that Nii-sama is seeing a woman from the Rukongai."

Kurui had an amused look on her face as she looked up and stroked her chin in thought.

"Huh, to think that Nii-sama is actually seeing a woman and I don't know a thing about it. The world must be ending."

"No offence, Kurui. But won't your clan elders oppose to your brother seeing a woman of commoner birth?"

"Of course they do." Kurui huffed out with her arms crossed. "Those crickety old-timers who should have kicked the bucket a long time ago are always ranting on and on about the purity of blood and tradition. But sofu is still the head of the clan and Nii-sama is slated to take over his position, so they cannot do anything about it."

Kurui jumped down from the bed and pointed to each of them in turn.

"That settles it. You guys will be coming over to stay at my house at least for a short while during the summer break. No backing out."

"Kurui!"

Said Kuchiki raised an eyebrow, daring them to oppose. The three of them can only give a resigned sigh after that. Kurui has the ability to sweep anyone up with her own momentum and they cannot do anything to resist. She doesn't follow the rules; the rules follow her. Even the instructors are at a loss in trying to get her to follow the rules set by the Academy. She never hands in her assignment on time unless she wants to, or even hand them in at all. She freely trespasses the prohibited grounds, something that everyone knew she does regularly but somehow no one has any evidence to prove it. She fell asleep during classes when it gets too boring for her but nothing the instructors did made her stop her behaviour. Some of them had grown to accept it when they saw Kurui's seat empty, signalling to them that she had decided to skip their classes. These are only the start of the long list of rules that she had broke just less than a year into the Academy.

"Er, is there anything we need to take note when we are there?" Kanisawa asked nervously. "Is there any rules or stuffs that we need to know when visiting a noble family?"

"There are." Kurui nodded exaggeratedly. "But even I don't follow them, so there's no need for you to do it too. These things are stupid anyway."

"It's time for our next lesson." Aoga stated as he started to pack up. "Let's move."

"Nah, you guys move." Kurui waved a dismissive hand in their direction. "I will skip out on class today. Today's weather is a good weather to have a nice nap."

The trio facepalmed. Not again.

"Kurui!"


	4. Chapter 4- Unexpected Graduation

"It's…"

"Huge." Aoga completed Kanisawa's statement as the four of them looked up at the main gates of the Kuchiki Family Manor in awe.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" Kurui sang her words out happily as she bounced on her feet. "Feel free to make yourselves comfortable!"

"_Humble abode_?" Kanisawa muttered under her breath in disbelief. "Does she even know just _how large_ her compound is?"

Shuhei gave a shrug in response. It will be easier to just go along with the flow since it is Kurui they are talking about.

The guards at the main gates gave a salute to Kurui the moment they spotted her, who greeted them happily in return.

"Morning! Kanbi-san, Hiricho-san! Are Sofu and Nii-sama at home today?"

"Good morning, Lady Kurui." One of the guards that Kurui had just greeted replied her in a respectful tone. "Both Lord Ginrei and Lord Byakuya are waiting for you in the main room."

"Thank you!"

Kurui physically dragged the three of them further into her manor as they took in the sights of what is being guarded by the gates of the Kuchiki Family Manor.

"So beautiful…" Kanisawa trailed off when she saw the garden as they walked along.

"I can show you around the garden later!" Kurui said as she made a turn which they quickly followed. None of them wants to get themselves lost in this huge manor.

"Here we are!" Kurui exclaimed when they reached a door. She slides the door open and went in immediately without knocking. The three of them have no other choice but to enter the room with Kurui and spotted the two elder Kuchikis immediately.

"Sofu! Nii-sama! I'm _hommmmmeee_!"

"Rui." An old man with white hair and a stern expression on his face chided as he looks at Kurui from where he is sitting on his elaborately crafted wooden chair. "How many times have I told you to knock before you enter?"

"You and Nii-sama sensed me even before I reached the door! There's no point in knocking!"

The old man, who Kurui's friends recognised to be Kuchiki Ginrei, the current Captain of the Sixth Division and Kurui's grandfather, gave an audible sigh. Seems like even a Captain is unable to contain the maelstrom of chaos known as Rui.

"Rui, introduce your friends to sofu." Byakuya reminded his hyperactive sister from where he stood beside the old man.

"Oh, right! Sofu, this is Shuhei, the tall one is Aoga, and she is Kanisawa! Guys, this is my grandfather!"

"Thank you for taking care of Rui. I know she can be a handful." The elderly Kuchiki gave them a nod which they quickly responded with a respectful bow. Kuchiki Ginrei is one of the most powerful individuals in the Seireitei in terms of both power and influence. They are having the jitters just by standing so close to him.

"Sofu! You say as if I get myself into trouble all the time!"

"You do, it's just that no one manages to catch you in the act red-handed." Ginrei admonished Kurui as he knocked Kurui on the top of her head with a knuckle, eliciting a yelp from her. "Go get changed and remember to visit your parents. You haven't been doing so in a long while. You and your friends can do whatever the four of you want later."

Shuhei eyes narrowed a little in puzzlement. Come to think of it, Kurui had never talked about her parents before.

"Kay." Kurui heeded the words of her grandfather before turning back to face them with her usual cheery expression.

"The servants will show you guys to your rooms later! My visit to Otou-sama and Okaa-sama won't be long!"

With that, Kurui exited the room and the room returned back to its silence, leaving three very nervous Academy students squirming at where they stand in front of the two Kuchikis.

"Thank you for being Rui's friends." Ginrei broke the silence as his words got the trio's immediate attention. "You don't know how much this means to us."

"I-It's nothing!" Kanisawa waved her hands in front of her in a flustered manner. "W-We didn't do much! If anything, Kurui has been a very nice friend to us!"

"She has always been very lonely since her parents are no longer around shortly after she was born." Ginrei drew out his words after taking a sip of his tea and Shuhei finally understand why Kurui never talked about her parents. They are no longer here. Kuchicki Ginrei's words to Kurui earlier must have been a reminder for Kurui to visit her parents' grave. "Both Byakuya and I are always busy with our work and we don't always have time for her. She doesn't have any friends her age that she can play with too, so she staved off her boredom by practicing the combat arts that we had taught her, often practicing from dawn to dusk. It's nice to see that she finally made some friends."

"If it is not too much trouble, please continue to be her friends." Byakuya added. "The two of us will not be around to keep her in line now that she is an Academy student. It will put us at ease if someone else can do it in our stead."

"Well, that's all Byakuya and I wanted to tell you." Ginrei commented as he stood up from his seat. "Enjoy your stay here and make yourselves at home. Honari."

A female servant entered the room at the mention of her name and gave a bow to each of them in turn.

"Lord Ginrei, Lord Byakuya, esteemed guests."

"Show Rui's friends to their rooms. They are our guests, treat them well."

"Understood, Lord Ginrei." The female servant replied before turning to the trio. "Esteemed guests, please follow me."

The trio politely excused themselves from the room before following after the female servant. Even if Kurui had told them what to expect when visiting a noble family, they still cannot get used to being treated as esteemed guests of utmost importance.

They doubt they ever will. The life of a noble and a commoner is just too different, but no matter what, Kurui will always be their friend. That will never change.

* * *

"Staring at your Zanpakuto like that will not cause it to tell your name sooner, Aoga."

Kurui, Shuhei, and Kanisawa looked on as Aoga sat down on the grassy shaded clearing that they are at with his Zanpakuto in front of him and stabbed downwards into the ground. Aoga is glaring at his Zanpakuto, as if glaring at it will whip the blade into submission and tell him its name.

The four of them are in the scenic garden within the Kuchiki Family Manor, trying to see if they can awaken it by performing Jinzen. Ginrei and Byakuya had gave them some pointers, but so far none of them had any luck.

"Argh! This is so frustrating!" Aoga gave up and threw his hands up in exasperation. "Why isn't it working?!"

"You are too impatient. This is a slow and delicate process." Shuhei said as he closed his eyes again to continue with his Jinzen. "This is not something you can force your way through."

"Nii-sama had told me before that there are rare instances where Shinigamis learned the name of their Zanpakutos in a life-and-death battle on their missions." Kurui added from her spot. "But I am not interested in finding out how true that is."

Shuhei looked at Kurui, who is now dressed in an elegant yukata which is a dark purple in colour. She is wearing a hairpiece known as a kenseikan, which she explains that she has to wear to symbolise her nobility as a member of one of the Four Noble Families. It is something he had saw her brother and grandfather wear as well. Kurui doesn't wear it at the Academy because she doesn't want to stand out, but she has to constantly wear the hairpiece on her head the moment she graduates and becomes a full-fledged Shinigami.

Shuhei personally thinks that Kurui looks beautiful in it.

The three of them are staying over at the Kuchiki Family Manor for a week in their two-month long summer break. According to Kurui, the succession ceremony for her older brother to take over their grandfather's position as the head of the clan will start a few days after the end of their visit, so the three of them cannot stay in the manor for long since the ceremony is only open to members of the Kuchiki clan.

Not like they mind. They are already very grateful towards Kurui who is hospitable and kind enough to invite them into her own home. Not all nobles like to have their manors visited by commoners from the Rukongai and not all commoners have the chance to see what the manor of a noble family looks like.

"Our results for the exams will be released tomorrow." Kanisawa stated nervously. "I hope I did well."

"I'm sure you did." Kurui stated nonchalantly as she tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Not everyone is as smart as you are." Aoga said as he lay on his back on the grass. "If only I have half the smarts that you have, I wouldn't be so stressed about trying to pass my exams."

"Keep the compliments coming." Kurui said in a haughty tone that earned her an eyeroll from the three of them.

"Seriously though, have any of you made any progress in learning your Zanpakuto's name? Even a little?" Aoga asked once more.

"Come to think of it, I have been having some weird dreams lately." Kurui put a finger to her chin in thought. "I'm not sure if it is related to my Zanpakuto though, I keep forgetting what went on in the dream for the most part when I woke up. I only remember the little pieces of it that I cannot make any heads or tails of."

"Maybe your brain is just weird."

"Hey! I am unique! UNIQUE! Not weird!"

"Are there any specialisations that you guys want to apply for when the next academic year starts?" Kanisawa questioned in curiosity. "Kurui, maybe you want to join the Kido Corps? If that is the case, you might want to apply for the Kido specialisation track."

"Nah." Kurui waved it off. "The Kido Corps feels like a boring place if all I use all day are Kido spells. I need something more exciting. Maybe the Eleventh Division? Nii-sama and Sofu will definitely have a fit over it if I apply to go there after I graduate from the Academy. Their reactions will be fun to watch."

"For some reason, I have a feeling that you will fit in just nicely in the Eleventh Division." Aoga gave Kurui a wary look as he lifted his head a little from where it is on the ground. "You want to be the next Kenpachi or something?"

"Ew." Kurui did a gagging motion as she made her opinion known. "No thanks. I don't want to kill a Captain and then be killed in return by the next one who wants to take over my position. I don't even know why they still keep that barbaric tradition around."

"Kurui as the next Kenpachi…" Shuhei gave his first friend in the Seireitei an appraising look from top to bottom before moving his gaze back up. "That sounds extremely likely."

"No, no, and NO." Kurui shook her head with her hands covering her ears to block out what she is hearing. "No Kenpachi Kurui. That is a _bad_ idea. Sofu and Nii-sama will slaughter me even before that happens."

"Well, what division do you want to join after you graduate?"

"Whichever sounds like the most fun!" Kurui clapped her hands together happily. "One that I can skip- _I mean_, do the least work all day with lots of exciting stuffs happening all the time-"

"Definitely the Eleventh Division." Shuhei deadpanned. "That division fits your criteria perfectly."

Kurui seemed lost in thoughts as she considered that option.

"To risk Nii-sama's and Sofu's wrath to have fun, or to live a boring Shinigami life… should I or should I not?"

The trio ignored Kurui's pondering. Since when did anyone's wrath deter her from getting what she wants?

* * *

"Go on, open it up!"

Kanisawa gave an audible gulp as she slowly reached for the scroll that documents her results in her first academic year in the Academy. They don't know how she did it, but Kurui has arranged it such that their results will be sent directly to the Kuchiki Family Manor since they are staying here for the time being. Kanisawa's mind is now running at overdrive, if she fails…

"Well, if you are not going to open it, then I will."

Kanisawa gave a shocked gasp when Kurui simply snatched her scroll from the table and opened it up immediately.

"Kurui!"

"Annnnnnnnnd, you passed!" Kurui exclaimed happily as she turned the scroll around to let Kanisawa see her own results. "So many 'A's too! Congrats, Kanisawa!"

Kanisawa is torn between celebrating her success and berating the Kuchiki for what she did, but she settled for taking the scroll back from Kurui's hands. She still has five more arduous years in the Academy until she graduates and becomes a true Shinigami, but at least she passed her first year with flying colours. The first year is the hardest year for students who came from the Rukongai, since most of them would not have any prior training or knowledge in the combat arts and they have a lot to catch up on as compared to those who came from the Seireitei. If she didn't meet Kurui and if Kurui didn't go out of her way to tutor her, Shuhei, and Aoga about what they need to catch up on, Kanisawa isn't sure if she can even manage a pass. Despite Kurui's abysmal overall grades, Kurui had already learnt and understand every single thing that is tested in the Academy's curriculum at the back of her hand even into the final year. She is just too lazy to complete and submit most of her assignments, which had pulled her overall grades down significantly.

"Well, what is _your_ results?" Shuhei asked as he peered over Kurui's shoulders, who had just begun to open her own scroll. She is the last to check on her results.

"There must be a mistake." Kurui said in a perplexed manner as she read her scroll again and again. "Why did the scroll say that I had successfully graduated from the Academy? Is this a scroll belonging to some sixth year?"

The group of friends all crowded around the petite girl as they looked at her results.

"But your name is written there. This is your scroll."

"Rui." Byakuya announced his appearance as he knocked on the door of the room where they are lounging at. "I assumed you received your results?"

"Yeah, but Nii-sama, this has to be a mistake!" Kurui passed her scroll over to her older brother, who looked at its contents quickly. "There's-"

"No, it isn't." Byakuya shook his head slightly at her words. "You were given a separate test paper for the written portion. As expected, you passed with flying colours." Byakuya paused for a second before looking back at Kurui again. "Although it would be much better if you didn't fail all your assignments on purpose."

Kurui's jaws dropped slightly as the realisation sank in.

"Nii-sama! You cannot just_ go behind my back_ and test me with a _SIXTH YEAR'S_ test paper!"

"It was on the orders of the Captain Commander." Byakuya explained calmly to placate his agitated sister. "The instructors had noticed that you are too good to remain at the Academy and reported it to the Captain Commander during their Annual Meeting with him. He had ordered to let you graduate as soon as possible, so long as you passed the written exams given to sixth years. You are exempted from being tested on the practical portion since it is obvious that you are way above your peers in the combat arts with how often you send your bullies into the medical bay. There's no need to further test your skills in it."

"Nii-sama!"

"It is _an order_, Rui." Byakuya emphasised to his sister. "Sofu and I are not particularly pleased with this arrangement either since we know you won't like it, but we have our orders and we were ordered to not breathe a word about it to you. As Shinigamis, we follow the orders of our superiors without question. You know that."

Kurui remained silent, but her glare conveyed her displeasure very clearly.

"Hey, at least you won't be stuck in the stuffy Academy for another five years." Kanisawa attempted to defuse the situation as she slung an arm over Kurui's shoulder in a friendly manner. "And congrats, Kurui! You graduated in just a single year!"

"I still cannot believe I didn't notice that my test papers were those given out to sixth years." Kurui gritted out. "No wonder it felt so much harder than usual. I just thought that it was because I didn't study much before the exams."

"You would know how a first year's paper would look like if you bothered attending the lessons and not skipping out on most of them." Shuhei said in amusement although he tried his best to ignore the brief pang in his heart at the thought of his best friend leaving the Academy before him.

"Shut up, Shu."

"We can always meet up when we are free." Aoga tried his best to cheer Kurui up as he spoke in an excited voice. "You can tell us all about your experiences in your division!"

That comment seemed to remind Kurui of something as she looked at her brother with a glint in her eyes before giving him an evil smirk.

"I will be applying to join the **_Eleventh Division_**, Nii-sama."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed at that remark. Kanisawa swore that she could see sparks flying between the eyes of the Kuchiki siblings as they glared at each other.

"You will **_not_** be joining that group of barbarians, Rui. You are better than that."

"My goal is to make you have grey hairs even before you have kids. So, there. Nyeh!" Kurui stuck her tongue out at her brother in defiance as Byakuya pinched the bridge of his nose with a hand and closed his eyes, trying to forcefully lower his rising blood pressure.

"Do whatever you want. I will inform Sofu about your results."

Byakuya announced his surrender as he walked out of the room without much fanfare. Kurui did a loud 'HMPF!' and plumped herself down on the floor as she visibly sulked, much to her friends' secret amusement.

"Aww, Kurui! Don't sulk! You look too cute to be sulking!"

"I am _not_ sulking. And I am **_not_** cute." Kurui batted away Kanisawa's finger which was poking at her cheek. If there is anything that Kurui disliked, it is when someone calls her cute. She dislikes that term since that term is synonymous to her being called a child. Kurui always insists that she is a young adult because she is already in her teens.

Physically, Kurui's slightly babyface appearance and her petite size makes her look a lot younger and less threatening than she really is. If it wasn't for the fact that she constantly brings her Zanpakuto with her wherever she goes, people would never have thought that such a beautiful and sweet girl is a Shinigami-in-training capable of beating down men many times her size. Kurui's status as a noble had drawn much unwanted attention as much as it had attracted good ones, and she had many chances to send those who had tried to bully her into the medical bay.

Kanisawa doesn't know why the bullies had thought that Kurui is a good target to pick on simply because they were jealous of Kurui's status as a noble. Kurui's skills in combat aside, _she is a Kuchiki._ Both her grandfather and elder brother are also high-ranking seated officers who have a lot of influence in how things work in the Seireitei. If the bullies had took a moment to think about how their actions will affect their future career as Shinigamis, the smarter choice will be to not incur Kurui's wrath. Somehow, this realisation never struck the bullies. They just kept coming back to try and physically bully Kurui only for the petite girl with a fiery temper to send them back to the medical bay within minutes. She never needed help even if Kanisawa and the boys will always be there to aid her if need be.

In the end, the only conclusion that Kanisawa arrived at was either the bullies are extremely stupid, or they probably have a death wish.

The scarier thing is that Kurui beat all her bullies off with her just her fists when those idiots had ganged up on her with their swords. To top it off, Hakuda is Kurui's weakest area in the four main combat arts and she still trounced them with ease.

"Come on, Kurui! Your pouting is making you so much cuter! Right, Shuhei?"

"Don't drag me into this." Shuhei said as he wisely distanced himself from his friends and the volatile Kuchiki.

"I hate all of you." Kurui crossed her arms and turned her head to a side, but it only serves to make her even cuter in their eyes. Kurui's babyface gives her a cute appearance no matter what expression she wears on her face, so hardly anyone takes her seriously even when she is angry. Her childish behaviours aren't helping things too.

"Don't talk to me, I am angry. Hmpf!"

"Aww, little Kurui is _angry_~" Kanisawa cooed as she laughed out loud with a hand over her mouth.

"We are so _scared_~" Aoga chipped in as he sang his words an octave higher than usual.

"Alright, this settles it." Kurui reached for her Zanpakuto and immediately began to slash at Kanisawa and Aoga, who cannot stop laughing as they dodged her strikes and bolted out of the room.

"Come back here!"

"Lalala~ We didn't hear anything!"

"Our little Kurui is definitely **_not_** sulking and she is definitely **_not_** cute! Right, Kanisawa?"

"Absolutely right!"

"Kanisawa! Aoga! Get back here and let me hack you into little pieces! I AM **NOT** CUTE!"


	5. Chapter 5- The Seventh Division

Komamura Sajin is known for being a gentle person with a heart of gold. Many know him for his impartiality in leading his division. He is one who accepts and forgives the fault of others, which is what made him so loved by his subordinates in his division. His deep loyalty to the Captain Commander is well-known, and thus many Shinigamis' impression of him is that he is as loyal as he is brave.

However, what he wasn't expecting to happen one fine day is for the Captain of the Sixth Division, Kuchiki Ginrei, who had just passed on the title of Head of the Kuchiki clan to his grandson, to personally pay him a visit. Ginrei's grandson, Kuchiki Byakuya, is also slated to take over Ginrei's position as the Captain of the Sixth Division in a few years, which will finally allow the aged Captain to retire.

Sajin was surprised further the moment Ginrei told him the purpose of his visit. Ginrei is asking him a favour to take his granddaughter into his division and is already apologising in advance for what she might do in the future, much to Sajin's bafflement.

Sajin had heard a little about the little Kuchiki prodigy who had graduated from the Academy in a single year. Upon looking at her file, he can see why the Captain Commander had asked for her to be tested and let her graduate should she pass the requirements. He can also see why Ginrei was apologising to him in advance the moment Sajin agreed to take the young Kuchiki under his wing. Given the number of classes she skipped and the number of assignments she never handed in, he is impressed that Kuchiki Kurui even managed a passing grade. The only reason why she didn't fail is because she aced all her tests, thereby helping her to scrapped through and achieving the bare minimum overall grade required of her to pass.

She basically exploited the rules of the Academy's system to let herself pass with minimum effort.

The instructors at the Academy had obviously picked up on how smart she is. Kuchiki Kurui is just playful and lazy, but she is by no means stupid. There's no way someone who can consistently score full marks for all her tests only achieve an overall passing grade. Kurui's practical scores are nothing to scoff at either. Her Hakuda is only above average, but her skills in Kido, Hoho, and Zanjutsu are exceptional. From what the Academy had documented about Kurui, she and her friends had survived an unexpected hollow encounter with no injuries to their person, although that may be attributed to the fact that Kurui was smart enough to call for reinforcements the moment she found that something is amiss. Her weird personality aside, Kuchiki Kurui's skillset would make her an exceptional Shinigami.

And so, Sajin agreed to Ginrei's request. There will be problems trying to get the young Kuchiki to listen to him and adhere to the rules of his division, but he is sure that they can come to a compromise. The Kuchiki isn't a spoiled brat as far as he can tell, she just chose to ignore the rules in favour for her own convenience as long as it doesn't implicate others. At least she shows some form of consideration to others when she chose to break the rules.

Kuchiki Kurui is even smaller than he had imagined.

That was his first thing that came to his mind when Sajin looked at Kurui through his helmet. Kurui had to crane her neck upwards to even look at him eye-to-eye.

"Wow, you are really huge, Captain."

Sajin wasn't expecting someone of noble birth to forgo all sense of formality and address him so casually, but he doesn't mind. It is a nice change of pace. Kurui still treats him with the respect a Captain deserves, it's just that she did so in a manner different from most.

His division was on a lull period at that time, so seeing as he had nothing better to do, Sajin decided to personally give the newest member of his division a tour of their barracks.

"This is our division's insignia." Sajin still remembered the time when he purposely brought the young Kuchiki to the spacious area in the barracks where most of his subordinates will spend their idle time together. Their division's insignia is painted on a large wall which overlooks them. "Our insignia is represented by the Iris plant, which symbolises many meanings. However, the one meaning which the whole of the Seventh Division emphasise above all is courage."

Sajin turned to Kurui, who was staring up at the division's insignia.

"Our division is made up of sincere, unpretentious people who live life with gusto. Given what I heard about you, I believe that you will fit in well here. We also strongly believe in moral obligation and compassion. This is the ethos that we passed down through the ranks in our division. Unlike other divisions, we recognise a warrior's strength not by the power they wield, but with their overflowing devotion and unwavering courage. We value those with a strong sense of loyalty and those who puts friendship and honouring of their obligation above all. I believe that you have these qualities, which is the main reason why I accepted your grandfather's request to accept you into my division."

"Devotion, courage, and loyalty, huh?" Kurui said out loud in thought. "Never thought that I will be described as such. People always call me playful, lazy, insufferable, noisy-"

"That is just the façade that you love to hide your true self with." Sajin got straight to the point and broke the figurative mask that the young Kuchiki wore in public. "Beneath that delinquent exterior is a heart that is fiercely loyal to those that had earned your recognition and those who you hold dear. Never stray from this path, Kurui."

It seems that his words that day got Kurui to respect him even more, judging by how she never shirked off her work if he tells her that it is urgent and he wants it done immediately. She still breaks the division's rules on a daily basis, much to the exasperation and frustration of his vice-captain, Iba Tetsuzaemon, but these rules that she broke repeatedly are basically harmless ones. Sajin is willing to turn a blind eye to such behaviours if it allows him to keep the energetic Kuchiki better under control in the larger scheme of things.

Kurui is always sneaking out of the division barracks to explore the other divisions. She had always complained that the reason why her grandfather pulled strings to send her here was because he and Byakuya were afraid that she will really go through on her promise to join the Eleventh Division, much to Sajin's amusement. Somehow, Kurui had managed to befriend many Shinigamis from various divisions on her daily escapades. According to Yachiru, on one occasion that Kurui had visited the Eleventh Division, Kurui had proved herself there by '_beating the guys senseless with just her fists_' in a free-for-all match. Yachiru used her authority as a vice-captain to grant Kurui the status of an honorary member of the Eleventh Division after that incident, even if that status isn't recognised by anyone other than Yachiru herself. Zaraki even had the gall to demand Sajin to transfer Kurui to his division immediately, a request that both Sajin and Ginrei had instantly denied.

Sajin noticed that Kurui's skills in combat is exceptional for her age in the first week after she joined the Seventh Division. The only thing she lacks is field experience, but that can be quickly rectified by sending her on missions that is on her skill level. There were also many of his subordinates who were unhappy that Kurui got sent on a real mission so soon after getting herself posted to the Seventh Division. When Kurui was being granted a seated position immediately after her graduation from the Academy, their dissatisfaction about her rose even further, believing that Kurui is receiving preferential treatment because she is from a noble family. They stopped when Kurui demonstrated why Yachiru granted her the status of an honorary member of the Eleventh Division. For someone so tiny, her punches are painful if you are on the receiving end of it and Hakuda isn't even her forte. Every member of the Seventh Division who were dissatisfied at the treatment Kurui received upon joining them had shut up when she proved her strength and worth. It was through such 'bonding sessions' that Kurui slowly climbed her way up as their Third Seat within a year after she joined. No one in the Seventh Division is able to match her blow for blow save Tetsuzaemon and himself.

The only thing that Sajin cannot seem to figure out is that no matter how much Kurui skives on her job, she can always get her work done in a satisfactory manner within the deadline. _Somehow_. If only she can impart her secrets to him, his job would be so much easier.

Despite their differences, his subordinates soon formed a strong bond with Kurui and treated her as one of their own. His men are not the type of people who holds petty grudges. With that, most of his worries of the young Kuchiki not fitting into his division are relieved.

Kurui did have some problems trying to get to learn the name of her Zanpakuto, which puzzled everyone. Given her strength back then even when she first joined, she should be at least capable of invoking a Shikai at that point in time. It took her another year shortly before she got promoted to Third Seat, but Kurui did managed to achieve Shikai eventually.

Kurui had told him that her Zanpakuto's name is Honsoku Kowasu, which literally means Rule Break. According to her, her Shikai grants her immense physical boost at the cost of physical exhaustion once the effect ended, allowing her to have a tremendous increase in power for a short period of time by temporarily surpassing her own physical limits. When her Shikai is released, Kurui's Hakuda is no longer her weakest point due to the increase of her physical power.

Sajin doesn't buy her explanation even if he gave the impression that he had accepted it. He knows the young Kuchiki well enough to know that she is not telling him the full truth. Her Zanpakuto's real ability must be something else, but if she wants to keep it a secret, then so be it. He can understand the need to not disclose everything about one's Zanpakuto's abilities, since the manifestation of one's sword abilities reflects your soul. It is something personal.

Sajin gave a mental sigh when he opens the door to his office and spotted Kurui already in the room playing with his pet dog, Goro, _again_.

"Kurui. How many times have I told you to not sneak into my office?"

"Hi Captain!" Kurui replied with a cheery wave as she hugged Goro close to her with her other arm. "Tetsuzaemon-senpai is out for my blood for sneaking out of our division barracks to play with Yachiru yesterday! So I'm laying low for a while until the storm has passed!"

Sajin would have facepalmed if it wasn't for his helmet getting in his way. Nevertheless, he accepted the flimsy explanation and moved to his desk, sorting through the paperwork for the day. At least Kurui volunteers to help him take care of Goro, a gesture that he appreciates since he can be extremely busy at times to take proper care of his pet dog.

"If you are already here, then you might as well help me out with the paperwork. Consider it as payment for hiding you from Tetsuzaemon."

Kurui did a cute pout, but unlike Ginrei and Byakuya, Sajin is resistant to this action of hers.

Seeing that it is no use in avoiding what is to come, Kurui reluctantly received the stack of papers but sorted them out diligently and meticulously upon his orders. Kurui is a hard worker when it comes to anything that catches her interest but tends to slack off in those that didn't. You just have to direct her energy to areas which she is interested in.

"How did your training go?" Sajin made idle conversation with their division's chatterbox as he went through his paperwork that was sorted for him by Kurui. At least it won't be boring with her around.

"Same old, same old." Kurui said in a bored tone as she rested her chin on her palm. "Other than you, only Tetsuzaemon-senpai gives me a hard-enough time in a spar."

"You do realise that your growth rate is extremely fast, right?" Sajin asked curiously. He has a feeling that Kurui just doesn't realise that she puts in a lot more effort and time in honing her skills as compared to others. Naturally, that translates into her improving a lot faster than her peers.

"All I do is train! The same thing that the others do!" Kurui whined as she threw a small tantrum.

Sajin shook his head in exasperation. His suspicion seems to be spot on. He took a brief look at Kurui's Zanpakuto, whose appearance had changed into a nodachi after Kurui had learnt its name. The long, two-handed sword has a simple cross guard with an open frame like a four-pane window, similar to the one Byakuya's Zanpakuto has. Her nodachi has a dark purple wrapping around the hilt and a sheath as dark as the night. Her nodachi is a stark contrast to Kurui's small built as its length is too long for her to carry it around by attaching it to the rope belt on her waist. In the end, the only way she can carry her Zanpakuto around is by slinging it across her back.

It is the form that her Zanpakuto took that made Sajin suspect that Honsoku Kowasu's real ability is not what Kurui had told him. From his personal experience, the physical form a Zanpakuto took when its Shikai is activated will suit its true abilities perfectly. Honsoku Kowasu's Shikai form is still the same form of a nodachi it uses even in its sealed state. If Honsoku Kowasu's ability is really to allow Kurui to temporarily surpass her own physical limits, there are many other suitable forms that her Zanpakuto can take. Taking the form of a nodachi isn't the best suited form given Honsoku Kowasu's supposed ability.

In a surprising show of speed, Kurui finished sorting through the paperwork he gave her in record time. Unsurprisingly, the reason for it is so that she can go back to playing with Goro. At least they have a shared love for dogs.

"Oh! Before I forget!" Kurui exclaimed before looking up at the huge Captain. "Captain! I will be taking a day off next Tuesday! I have some family matters to attend to."

"Just remember to file the necessary paperwork and get Tetsuzaemon to sign it." Sajin grunted out. There's no point denying Kurui in her request since she will go on her day off with or without his approval. She is pretty much fearless against anything. She respects him enough but is definitely not afraid of him or any punishment that he deals out.

"Is this because of your brother being the newly appointed Head of your clan?" Sajin inquired further. Byakuya had just been made the 28th Head of the Kuchiki clan, and the change in leadership might have caused certain issues to surface. Sajin wouldn't be surprised if that were truly the case.

"Partly." Kurui said as she lay on her back and allowed Goro to lick her face as she giggled from the contact. "But Nii-sama is finally introducing me to his **girlfriend**! He is seeing a woman behind my back for years without me knowing about it until Sofu told me! AHH!" Kurui gripped the sides of her head in frustration at the thought. "**How**?! Being sneaky is supposed to be my thing! Not his!"

"Well, in that case, enjoy yourself." Sajin returned to doing his work, not interested in the gossip of which woman had caught the interest of the new Head of the Kuchiki clan.

"Say, Captain." Kurui shifted herself closer and peered up at him while hugging Goro close to her. "Do you have a girlfriend? When are you getting married? Can I meet her? _Pleeeeeeeeeease_?"

Sajin can feel his mouth twitching in irritation beneath his helmet at the sudden bombardment of questions, but at least she is not bugging him to take off his helmet this time round.

"Your grandfather is right; you are insufferable."

"_Captaaaaaaaain_!"


	6. Chapter 6- Hisana

Hisana nervously adjusted the finely embroidered clothes and the elegant hairpieces that Byakuya had given her to wear for this occasion. She will be meeting Byakuya's sister today, someone who Byakuya loves dearly. She knows just how important Kurui is to Byakuya like how Rukia was to her. No matter what she did, Hisana just cannot calm her anxious nerves. If Kurui doesn't accept Byakuya and her seeing each other…

"Hisana, what's wrong?"

"Byakuya-sama!" Hisana let out a startled gasp upon spotting her lover. When did he get to her back without her knowing it? He needs to stop walking so silently all the time!

"If you are worried about Rui not accepting you, then don't. She is not the kind of person who judges one based on the background which they have no control over. If Sofu accepted you, she will as well."

Hisana can only give a small nod upon Byakuya's words as they embraced each other. His words had the soothing effect that she desperately needs right now.

"Byakuya-sama." Hisana spoke softly as she looked back up at the new Head of the Kuchiki clan. "Is there… erm… anything else I need to know or do before meeting your sister?"

Byakuya blinked his eyes twice in surprise, but he cannot help but let the warm feeling that grew from his heart spread throughout his body. He knows Hisana loves him as much as he does for her, and she is trying her best to get herself accepted by his family. She had passed Sofu's test for her, something that Byakuya had never doubted that she will do so with flying colours. So that leaves Kurui, whose reactions can never be predicted. The fact that Hisana is willing to try anything to leave a good impression of her on his sister shows how much she wants them to stay together, a feeling that he shares as well.

"Rui is… unpredictable." Byakuya finished his sentence as he too racked his brain for anything Hisana can do to get Kurui to accept Hisana as her new soon-to-be (hopefully) sister-in-law. He admits that he and Sofu had spoiled Kurui rotten, although thankfully she never grew to be a spoiled brat that he often sees in the other noble families. However, if Kurui doesn't like Hisana and given Kurui's personality, that sister of his will go out of her way to make life a living hell for Hisana in an attempt to chase her away from his side. That will be a headache and a half.

"Unpredictable?"

"Rui is a free spirit. She doesn't listen to anyone and anything." Byakuya gave a resigned sigh as the images of the list of things Kurui had did since she was a child resurfaced in his mind. Most of them were fond memories, but the scares, headaches, rising blood pressure, and the clean-up of her messes that followed were not as pleasant.

"She loves having fun and she acts in a childish manner despite her age. There is no set rule on what kind of people she likes, the friends she made in the Seireitei comes from all walks of life. I don't approve of some of them, but so far they had not been a totally bad influence on her, so Sofu and I turn a blind eye. There's really no telling what her reactions to you will be."

Byakuya can see Hisana biting her lips nervously and he knows she is starting to worry once again.

"Don't worry too much. I don't see a reason why Rui will not accept you beyond the childish notion that you will steal me away from her, but I don't think it is likely that this scenario will happen. She can be mature in her thoughts despite her childish behaviour." Byakuya said in the most reassuring tone he can manage as he cupped Hisana's face with his hand.

The two of them spent their remaining time in blissful silence as they sat down on the wooden porch and watched the flowers in the garden of the Kuchiki manor. That silence will be broken when Kurui returns home from the Seventh Division and it will never be back until she leaves for work again, so he is milking every chance he has right now to enjoy his peace and quiet.

Hopefully, Kurui will grow to love Hisana as her new sister.

* * *

"She isn't back yet?" Ginrei asked the moment he entered the dining room where Byakuya and Hisana are already seated and waiting for the youngest member of their family to arrive. Ginrei sat himself down at the end of the table, a spot reserved for the elder that signifies his importance in the family. The table itself is already filled with delicious delicacies, many of them are favourite dishes of Kurui's and Hisana's. Byakuya had wanted to make it easier to convince Kurui to accept Hisana as her sister-in-law and he knows her mood is usually better after a good meal, so he went the extra mile to ask the chefs working in their kitchen to prepare Kurui's favourite dishes on top of Hisana's.

"I'm afraid not, Sofu." Byakuya tried to hold back the sigh in his voice. For some reason, he and Sofu are just not capable of controlling Kurui and her desire to venture to unknown places. "Maybe something new has caught her attention on her way back again."

Hisana tried to process whatever new information she had just gleaned about Kurui as she sat in her seat silently. From what she gathered so far, Byakuya was right to say that Kurui is unpredictable. There is no rhyme nor reason for her to do what she did.

"_Sooooofuuuuuu_!"

From out of nowhere, a black little blur barrelled into the dining room and latched onto Ginrei immediately. The looks on Ginrei's and Byakuya's face told Hisana that they were taken by surprise too, it seems that the two Shinigamis did not sense Kurui's presence before she made her sudden entrance.

"Rui." Ginrei said in a gentle voice that Hisana would never expect the stern elder to use as he dotingly pats his granddaughter on her head. "You look well."

"Of course I am well!" Kurui said with a pout as she put her hands on her hips. "Why won't I be?"

"Of course, of course." Ginrei said with a hearty laugh and Kurui turned around, spotting Byakuya immediately."

"Nii-sama!"

Kurui crashed into Byakuya in a glomp as Byakuya plucked the energetic Kuchiki off him with practised ease.

"Rui, behave yourself."

"You are boring, Nii-sama." Kurui made a face and stuck her tongue out at him. She turned her head again, and this time she spotted her.

"Hello." Hisana spoke in the most confident, approachable, and gentle voice she can muster and pushed all her nervousness into the deepest confines of her mind. "My name is Hisana. It is nice to meet you, Kurui."

A period of silence followed as Kurui stared at Hisana without moving. It got to the point that even Ginrei and Byakuya started to have worried looks on their faces. Hisana herself is trying her best not to appear uncomfortable under Kurui's scrutinising gaze.

Byakuya was about to shake Kurui out of her stupor when she broke out of it herself.

"Nii-sama." She said in a calm tone that is uncharacteristic of her usual talkative self as she spun to face him. It got the alarm bells in his head, the ones that only rung when it has anything to do with Kurui, to ring loudly. This time, the ringing is the loudest he had ever experienced.

Kurui pointed a finger at Hisana.

"Marry her already."

Cue another period of silence.

"Nii-saaaamaaaaaaaa." Kurui whined as she walked up to him, tugged on the long sleeves of his clothes and waved an obnoxious hand in front of his face. "Hello? _Ding-dong_! Anyone in there? Earth to Nii-sama!"

"I can hear you just fine." Byakuya grumbled as he took a quick glance in Hisana's direction. She seems relieved that Kurui didn't harbour any ill feelings towards her. There is also a faint blush on her cheeks, most likely due to what Kurui had said after her silence.

"When are you getting married?" Kurui asked excitedly as she disappeared with a shunpo and reappeared by latching onto his back, forcing Byakuya to piggyback her. Hisana have to forcefully hold back her laughter at the sight of her lover getting manhandled by his sister. This is a side of Byakuya that she hasn't yet seen before.

"We are still dat-"

"Grow a pair and **PROPOSE** to her already!" Kurui shouted in her brother's ear as he nearly stumbled from the sudden increase in volume. Ginrei had opted to ignore the happenings in front of him as he suddenly found the fine antiques in the dining room to be extremely interesting to watch, choosing to leave Byakuya to his fate if it means Kurui will not be bugging him.

"There is also the issue of the clan elders to-"

"Those old-timers? They are _still_ giving you a hard time?" Kurui said with a scoff which was replied by a flick of Byakuya's finger to her head at her disrespectful remark. Kurui dropped down from his back and returned a glare at her older brother as she nursed her forehead where Byakuya had flicked his fingers on.

In an unpredictable move, Kurui spun on her heels of her foot and walked out of the dining room, catching everyone by surprise once again.

"Rui? Where are you going?"

"To make sure the old-timers won't be an obstacle for the two of you. It just so happens that I know the old-timers will be gathered at the West Wing around this time for their weekly shogi sessions, so it is a good opportunity for me to be giving all of them a visit. See you later! Won't be long! I expect you and Hisana-nee to be married by the end of next week! I will only take a few minutes!"

"Rui! Get back here!"

* * *

"How." Ginrei spoke in a mixture of disbelief, amazement, and apprehension as he looked down at his granddaughter, who is looking up at him with that beaming smile of hers. She looks almost like an eager puppy who had done something worthy to be called an achievement and is waiting for his praise.

"How what? You need to be more specific, Sofu. I am not a mind reader."

"How did you get the clan elders to change their mind in…" Ginrei took a pause as he tried to recall just how long his lovely granddaughter had took. He is sure that even brewing a nice cup of tea takes even longer than what she just did.

"Secret~~"

"No, seriously. Rui, just what did you do?"

Kurui turned around in a dramatic fashion to face her older brother, who had posed the question to her on their grandfather's behalf. Hisana's mouth is agape, her expression similar to the one Ginrei is sporting, only that there is also a hint of gratefulness to it. After what Kurui had done, there are no longer any obstacles standing in the way of the marriage between her and Byakuya.

"Well, if a dog misbehaves, there are two ways to correct their behaviour." Kurui started to hold her head high with her chest puffed out, speaking as if she is a lecturer giving an important lesson that they all should remember by heart. "It is either the carrot, or the stick. In this case, the stick is a more effective approach."

Ginrei and Byakuya both facepalmed. Ignoring the fact that Kurui had just referred their esteemed clan elders as mere dogs, her explanation still doesn't tell them just **_what_** exactly she had done.

"You… threatened them?"

Hisana spoke out softly in a hesitant manner, as if fearing that breathing a single wrong word will incur Kurui's displeasure.

"Threaten is too harsh a word to use, Hisana-nee." Kurui said playfully as she hopped over to Hisana's side, who is obviously surprised that Kurui had taken to accepting her as her own elder sister immediately, and effectively acknowledging the relationship between her and Byakuya.

"I would say that I… very helpfully _remind_ them that they could very well lose their positions as clan elders if, for example, slip on a banana peel and knock their head on a metal pole that _just so happens_ to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, causing them to-"

"That." Byakuya said in a reprimanding tone as he pulled on Kurui's ear, who is now yelling at him to let go. "Is the very definition of threaten, Rui."

Hisana allowed a small smile on her face as she watches Rui arguing with Byakuya. Byakuya may look as if he is giving Kurui a scolding, but there is no real bite to it. He secretly approves of what Kurui had done.

"- and you are a big meanie! I prefer Hisana-nee more, hmpf!"

Rui reappeared beside Hisana again with a flicker, who decided that she should try and get used to the Kuchikis' love of travelling around unannounced with shunpo. Kurui wrapped her arms around Hisana's left and proceed to drag her along.

"Come, Hisana-nee, let's leave Nii-sama here while we eat our meal."

"Rui-"

"LALALA I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING FROM NII-SAMA!"

Hisana turned back to look at Byakuya and Ginrei, not knowing how to react to Kurui's actions. Ginrei had started to follow after them while Byakuya has that annoyed look on his face after Kurui had stolen her away from him.

Hisana has a feeling that she will be spending a lot of time with her new sister. She is unsure if someone like her deserves another sibling. After all, she had ditched her own sister. She doesn't deserve someone as accepting as Kurui to call her Hisana-_nee_ of all things.

However, she also knows that Byakuya's greatest wish right now is for her and Kurui to get along with each other, and she admits that she does have a soft spot for the young Kuchiki. Kurui had even took the effort to get the clan elders to accept her marriage to Byakuya without question, even if it was done with thinly veiled threats. Byakuya had initially said that it might take a few years before the clan elders even consider their union a possibility, but with Kurui's interference, it seems that she might be married to Byakuya years earlier than expected.

For this, she will be forever grateful to this new sister of hers. She had failed her own younger sibling once; she will not fail another. Never again.

* * *

Byakuya watched on as Kurui chattered with Hisana without a care in the world. They had finished their meal and the entire family is now resting in a pavilion, watching the sakura flowers that dotted their manor. He is glad that Kurui didn't kick up a big fuss over getting himself a girlfriend, and one that he didn't tell her about until the very last minute. To top it off, he was already planning on marrying Hisana when Kurui had finally got wind of the news. He wasn't sure if Kurui would like the sudden change in their family. He was afraid of introducing Hisana to Kurui because even he is unsure what Kurui's reactions will be. Kurui can be possessive of the people she cares about, and he was scared that Kurui might think that Hisana's presence will mean that Hisana will 'steal' him away from her. Kurui can be childish when it comes to things like this, so he thinks that his fears are not unfounded.

Thankfully, she accepted Hisana immediately, and even somehow managed to threaten the clan's elders to accepting the union between him and Hisana within minutes after she returned home. If it were left up to him, his meticulous nature would mean years of delicate planning to ensure that he can finally marry the woman of his life without complications. Kurui had just drastically shortened that time for him.

_But._

"And do you know that Nii-sama really hates to eat nuts after that? I mean, come on! It was just-"

The only thing that he _really_ wishes right now, is that Kurui doesn't steal Hisana away from **_him_**. She had practically shooed him away from Hisana during dinner, taking the seat beside her where **_he_** is supposed to sit as Hisana's intended.

Yes, he is jealous. Of his little sister no less. Jealous of his little sister monopolising his girlfriend's, no, _his fiancée's_ time.

Their grandfather simply sat on a rocking chair that Kurui had gifted him a few months back as he basked in the happiness. She had found and asked an experienced carpenter to make one, and their grandfather had loved the present. Now, rocking chairs can be found in every place that their grandfather frequents in the manor. His bedroom, the pavilion, his study, and so on and so forth.

"I know, right! Nii-sama can be so childish and stupid at times! And oh, oh! Have I told you-"

Byakuya decided that now is the time to step in. Monopolising Hisana's time and stealing her away from him is one thing. Telling her all about his embarrassing moments is another. It seems that his initial worries about Kurui not accepting Hisana is uncalled for. In fact, the two of them get along with each other too well.

"Rui. The kettle is boiling."

Kurui gave him a glare, one that he had long since grew used to seeing in the years that he had watched her grew up. Despite her dissatisfaction at being interrupted, Kurui walked over to the kettle and started to brew cups of tea for each of them. The moment she is done, she offered the first cup to their grandfather, who accepted it eagerly. Kurui is very good at brewing tea, something that none of them would have expected from her.

Kurui had started to learn about tea ceremonies at a young age, right after she realised that their grandfather loves his tea as much as he loves his sword. It was unexpected, that the energetic girl that cannot sit still for more than a minute would voluntarily ask them to get her an instructor to teach her about tea ceremonies. They know how much she dislikes acting like a noble and all the '_troublesome routines and ceremonies that comes with being one_', in her own words.

As usual, the two elder Kuchikis indulged her whims, although they were not expecting her interest in it to last for more than a week. As if defying all expectations they have for her, Kurui performed splendidly in each of her lessons with her instructor.

It wasn't long before the two realised that the reason Kurui would willingly sit herself down to learn about tea ceremonies and how to properly brew a nice cup of tea is because of their grandfather. She had decided to learn something that is against her nature because of her love for her grandfather. It was a touching moment for them, and it was then they realised that Kurui is a lot more mature and smarter than they give her credit for. Kurui had started to personally brew tea for their grandfather after that, something that he enjoys immensely. Before Kurui left them to join the Academy, she would personally brew flasks of tea every morning so that their grandfather can bring it with him when he goes to work at the Sixth Division's barracks. Their grandfather had missed her tea when she was no longer around to do so after she joined the Academy. The ones that the servants brewed never smelled and tasted as fragrant as the one Kurui did, even if they had done it nicely.

The four of them sat around each other as they sipped on the hot beverage Kurui had brewed for them. Byakuya took satisfaction in the fact that he now has the chance to finally sit beside Hisana.

"Nii-sama, are you jealous?"

Kurui's sudden inquisitive question got his eye twitching in response. He knows she is spot on in her observation, but his pride will never let him admit it.

"No, I'm not. I am just rescuing Hisana's ears from your noisy chattering."

"_Awww_, Nii-sama! I didn't know you can get jealous!" Kurui shifted herself closer to Byakuya and wagged her right eye suggestively. Byakuya had to resist the urge to call upon his newly attained Bankai to wipe that look off his sister's face. His other hand is just hovering over the hilt of his zanpakuto right now.

"I don't know what you are talking about. If you are so free, go practice on your Hakuda. You are still abysmal at it."

What went unsaid is that he would finally have time to spend with Hisana once his noisy and talkative sister lost herself in practicing the combat arts.

"_Sooofuuu_! Nii-sama is a big bully!"

Ginrei merely gave a disinterested look at her before returning to sipping on his tea in contentment. The wise elder had known by now not to get himself involved in Kurui's shenanigans.

"Hisana-neeeee!"

"Hisana, don't listen to Rui. She is a spoiled brat."

"Nii-sama!"

* * *

Hisana sat down on a chair in Kurui's room as the young Kuchiki girl insisted on helping to comb her hair. Hisana didn't want to overstay her welcome initially and had wanted to return back to her home in the Rukongai. However, Kurui had insisted on her staying in the manor, saying that since it is more or less confirmed that Hisana is now going to be the next matriarch of the Kuchiki clan, it will be safer for her to live in the Kuchiki Family Manor instead of her house in the Rukongai. Byakuya had jumped on the chance and agreed as well. He had told her previously many times that she can stay at the manor whenever she wants and however long she wants, but back then Hisana was afraid of wagging tongues and the impact it will have on Byakuya. Furthermore, it was a crucial time for him when he was about to be appointed as the new head of the clan. She will not allow herself to drag him down. She knows that her home is constantly watched by the Kuchiki clan's personal guards even if she had never spotted them before. Byakuya will never let her go unguarded given how protective he is of her.

Ginrei didn't say anything about Kurui's insistence, but the look in his eyes had conveyed to her that he also agrees with his grandchildren. Ginrei had left the decisions on how to best run the Kuchiki clan to Byakuya the moment he passed on the mantle of the Head of the Kuchiki clan to him.

And so, now begins the first night that she will live at the Kuchiki manor. This is her new home starting from now. She and Byakuya aren't officially married to each other yet and going by their clan's traditional take on things, they are not allowed to share a single room. Thus, Kurui had dragged her to her own room, saying that they should have some 'sister-bonding' time.

"Um… Hisana-nee. I know this is a personal question, but…"

"You can just speak your mind, Rui." Hisana said gently as she allowed the young girl to continue combing her hair. Kurui had grown on her in the short span of a single day. She can see why Byakuya and his grandfather doted on her. Despite Kurui's childish tendencies, she has her own mature side and she also loves just as hard. Being around Kurui never fails to make them smile.

"Do you… have other family members? I mean, you and Nii-sama never said anything about it and I found it weird that you agreed to stay here after I proposed the idea. Most women would have said something along the lines of '_my parents would have disagreed_' or something."

"I don't have parents, Rui." Hisana spoke in her soft voice as she shared more of her past with the girl. "I do have a younger sister, once. I am still searching for her, and hopefully she will forgive me when I find her."

"What's her name?"

"Rukia." Hisana whispered the name of her sister as a look of melancholy crossed her face. Where is Rukia now? How is she doing? Is she even alive?

"Then I will help search for her." Kurui said in certainty. "You came from the 78th district, right? I will ask Captain Komamura to post me there on some kind of mission when I report back to work tomorrow. I am sure he will agree. I can help look for your sister there."

"There's no need for you to do this for me!" Hisana said in alarm as she tried to turn around, but Kurui's hand pressed on her shoulders and kept her seated on the chair.

"You are my brother's girlfriend and soon-to-be wife. That makes you my sister and family. Of course I will help." Kurui said as she finally finished combing Hisana's hair. "I think you and Nii-sama are made for each other. I haven't seen him smile so genuinely in such a long time."

"Are you sure that is not because you always give him high blood pressure and migraines with your antics?" Hisana teased as she finally convinced herself that she is truly accepted by the Kuchikis. So what if she is born a commoner? So what if the clan elders don't accept her from the bottom of their hearts? What truly matters is that Byakuya and his family had accepted her. That is all she needs.

"What antics?! I am not a monkey!"

"Strange, Byakuya-sama always calls you a little monkey." Hisana continues with her relentless teasing as she can't help but let a smile rest on her face. Byakuya never fails to tell her how his sister's misbehaviours drove him up the wall. Sometimes quite literally too.

"Hisana-neeeee!"


	7. Chapter 7- Rukia and Renji

She hates this life. She hates Inuzuri and the people there.

That is the line of thinking Rukia had ever since she is old enough to form coherent thoughts. The 78th District of Rukongai is not a kind place, and she considered herself lucky to be able to find a good friend in the form of Renji. Why is he her only friend, you ask?

The rest of their friends are already dead. Simple as that.

One got eaten up by hollows, two were killed by adults during one of the heists gone wrong. Another had stupidly tried to scare the adults off with a mask drawn in an imitation of a hollow's, hoping to steal the food left behind when the adults ran away in their fear. He wasn't expecting the adults to fight back and killed him instead. The adults only realised their folly when their last friend was already dead.

It is just her and Renji now.

They had known each other for only a short ten years, and in these ten years their little group had dwindled to the two of them. Both of them were gifted with spiritual powers, which might explain their continued survival.

If only she knows how to properly use it, it might get her out of sticky situations. Like right now.

"Stop right there!"

Rukia continues to run as fast as her legs can carry her with the stolen food in hand. As souls with spiritual power, she and Renji feels constant hunger if their stomachs weren't filled. They need food, unlike these buffoons who are so weak in spiritual power that they only eat to satisfy their cravings. Why would they hoard food like that if they don't need them? At least share it with those that needs it!

A rope suddenly appeared near the floor and was pulled taut the moment Rukia crossed it. She watched in satisfaction as the rope trap which Renji had set up tripped a large group of the adults who were chasing after them. She turned around a corner, where she knew Renji would be waiting for her and they would make their escape together.

"Renji!"

Rukia let out a worried shout when she saw her best friend pinned down by a group of thugs. How did his location got found out?!

"Hand over the food, girl." One of the thugs growled out as he pressed a dagger near Renji's throat. "Or he goes."

"F-Fine! Just don't hurt him!"

Rukia handed over the stolen goods immediately. Nothing takes precedence over Renji's well-being. They are all each other have left.

"Boss, we got the stuffs back."

"Good. Off them."

Rukia watched on in shock as she was suddenly grabbed and pinned down onto the floor together with Renji without any time to react to the sudden change. Renji gave her a wink, and Rukia immediately closed her eyes.

His home-made flash bomb got the thugs covering their eyes as they screamed in pain from the sudden bright light. Rukia and Renji immediately made a run for it the moment the hold their captors have over them loosened. They ran thorough the dark alleys, dashing through the maze of twists and turns and didn't stop until they reached the safe haven which is their dingy hideout.

"_Huff_… _huff_… You alright, Renji?

"Yeah." Renji replied between pants of breath. "You?"

"I'm fine." Rukia replied as she turned around, only to let out a startled scream when she saw an unfamiliar set of eyes looking at hers barely an inch away.

Both Renji and her immediately jumped backwards upon the silent appearance of the newcomer. The girl couldn't be much older than them, but what got them concerned is the fact that not only the girl had sneaked up on their backs without a sound, it is the fact that she is a Shinigami given the robes she wore.

Not only that, the hairpieces she wore on her hair are undoubtedly kenseikans.

_A noble_

"Hmm… You do look a lot like Hisana-nee." The petite Shinigami mused as she crossed her arms with amusement dancing in her eyes while looking at Rukia with as if appraising her. She turned to Renji.

"And you, my friend, look like a pineapple."

"What is your damn problem!" Renji burst out in a fit of rage at the comment about his looks, raising a threatening fist at the small Shinigami. The only thing standing in his way between him and the Shinigami girl is Rukia, who is physically holding him back.

"Renji! Don't! Calm down and _think_! She is a _Shinigami_!"

They weren't expecting for the Shinigami to burst into peals of laughter while rolling on the floor.

"Oh Kami! I wasn't expecting you to be this funny! HAHAHA!"

Renji and Rukia exchanged looks, a silent question between them if the other knows what is wrong with the Shinigami girl. From the looks of it, none of them have any clue.

"In any case." The Shinigami freaked them out once more as she appeared at their backs without any warning, but this time her arms are now draping around their shoulders like they are best friends.

_HOW_ did she do that?!

"It's time for the both of you to go home. I have been searching for three years. THREE YEARS!" The Shinigami wailed out with her face facing up and screaming into the ceiling. "I have _enough_ of getting stuck in Inuzuri!"

Go home? What home? _This_ is home, no matter how rundown and horrible it is.

Without giving them any warning, the girl around their age pulled them along without their consent and they clung to her for dear life as she _flew_ through the air with them. Even after decades later, the both of them would vehemently deny the fact that they were screaming themselves hoarse the entire duration.

They would soon find out why the Shinigami girl had said that she is '_bringing them home'_.

* * *

She cannot believe it. She has a sister. An _older_ sister.

An older sister that had left her to die when she was just a baby.

She wanted to scream, to punch, to do anything to vent her anger and frustration out on the person who had left her to such a horrible fate. But when the woman -_her older sister_\- hugged her with tears streaming down her face, apologising profusely to her over and over again asking for her forgiveness, she just cannot bring herself to hate her.

That was how she got adopted into the Kuchiki clan.

There were violent protests from the other members of the clan, especially the clan elders, in accepting another commoner into their clan. However, her new sibling in the form of a defiant Kurui shut them up behind closed doors. Whatever happened in there will forever be a mystery to her. Her brother-in-law and the Head of the clan, Kuchiki Byakuya, did not even have to lift a finger.

However, a concession was still made. Renji wasn't able to get himself adopted as a sibling of Kuchiki Byakuya but that didn't stop Kurui from making a suggestion. Renji was appointed as their personal retainer. It gives Renji some form of power and protection within the clan and also allows him the freedom to stay in the huge manor. The clan elders were unable to find a reason to argue against it, so they dropped the subject.

Their lives suddenly took a hundred and eighty degree turn for the better.

Rukia had a hard time adjusting to living a life of a noble, but her older sister and brother-in-law had tried their best to help her and Renji. Rukia soon realised that Byakuya really loves her sister, even going so far as to break the rules that he had sworn to uphold just for her. Even if they had barely met before hand, Rukia can feel that Byakuya truly treats her as his own flesh and blood sister from how he looks out for her in his own subtle way.

How can she not grow to accept them as her family after that?

Renji is simply grateful for having a roof over his head and not needing to constantly worry about food and water. He immediately took up the offer to learn as much as he can, be it reading, writing, or learning the combat arts when given the chance. He takes his duty as a retainer seriously, taking it upon himself to be the strongest retainer that the Kuchiki clan ever produces. He is aiming to be a Shinigami in the future, a strong one who will one day serve under Kuchiki Byakuya as his Vice-Captain. He refuses to serve under another.

All because the Kuchiki clan had given him a chance to live properly.

Kurui had chosen to return back to the Seireitei after she found them. According to Hisana, Kurui had volunteered to be posted to Inuzuri to help Hisana search for her. Hisana would have looked for her personally, but Byakuya and Kurui had stopped her due to her poor health. This was the main reason why Kurui volunteered to search for Rukia in Hisana's stead, because Hisana's health doesn't allow her to do so unless she wants her already frail health to deteriorate further.

It was a search that spanned across three years. A noble had willingly lowered her status to personally search for a commoner like her, staying in that hideous place for three years without complaints. The only reason she did what she did is because she wants to help her sister-in-law, her family.

Rukia had heard that Byakuya and Kurui had a grandfather, who passed away due to old age two years before Kurui had found them. Rukia can tell that Kurui misses her grandfather dearly from how often she visits his grave to talk to him whenever she is at home and the forlorn look on her face whenever he became the topic of their discussion. According to Kurui, Byakuya and her grandfather were the people who had raised her. It was her grandfather who first taught her how to properly wield a sword and taught her the various clan techniques.

It is obvious that Kurui misses her grandfather very, very much.

It wasn't long before Rukia decided to be a Shinigami too, just like her brother and sister-in-law. Hisana has her concerns but conceded upon seeing how determined she is. It also helps to have a Shinigami Captain and a Third Seat promising Hisana to keep an eye out for her.

And thus, after much fussing from her older sister, an approving nod from her brother-in-law, tons of gifts from Kurui, and her best friend Renji by her side, the two of them enrolled into the Academy.

* * *

He was just a street rat. A commoner. Someone who was unwanted and someone unimportant. The only person that was left standing by his side is Rukia, someone that he had sworn to himself to protect at all costs. The both of them are orphans, left to fend for themselves in this unforgiving world for eternity.

So when they found out that Rukia had an older sister all along and said sister is now the matriarch of one of the Four Noble Families, he thinks he is entitled to be suitably confused.

Why would anyone abandon their own sibling?

Hisana's explanation didn't satisfy him, but if Rukia forgave her, then all is fine in his opinion. Rukia's well-being is his foremost concern.

What was irritating is the midget known as Kuchiki Kurui, even if Renji developed an immense respect for her over time. Not that he would tell her about it, since the annoying midget would just use that and lord it over him even after he turned grey and wrinkly and is on his deathbed. He had no doubts that she will even visit his grave daily just to annoy him, not allowing him to rest in peace as she cackled in that evil laughter of hers.

Still, she was what made him into who he is.

If it wasn't for Kurui taking him in as a retainer of the clan, he would have been booted out of the Kuchiki manor and separated from Rukia. If it wasn't for Kurui, he and Rukia would have continued to live the life of a street rat for who-knows-how-long. If it wasn't for Kurui, he would not be half the man he is today.

For that, he is grateful.

He respects her older brother as well. The 28th Head of the Kuchiki clan is a quiet individual and carries himself as he would expect others to follow. His word is law. His teachings are strict. He is a warrior right down to the bone. He is untouchable. Like the moon, he is someone so high-up and unreachable that you can only hope to be but can never be.

And yet, never had Byakuya once looked down upon him for being a commoner from the Rukongai. Kurui was the one who managed to get him to continue staying by Rukia's side, but Byakuya was the one who spotted his potential and trained him. He taught him what he knew, never treating him any different from the others. Renji recognises an opportunity when he sees it, and so he took it.

He found himself having a deep respect for the man. He found himself wanting to surpass the man who taught him the way of the sword. It soon became clear to Abarai Renji that Kuchiki Byakuya is the only man that he will serve under. He will not serve under someone else. However, Renji still wants to become a Shinigami. He could continue the current arrangement by training under Byakuya and end up as his own personal guard, but he wants to be more.

He wants to become a Shinigami, a protector of Soul Society.

Byakuya agreed to his request without a second thought, saying that becoming a Shinigami will do him good. Byakuya even agrees to let him join the Sixth Division, the division that Byakuya leads, should Renji prove himself worthy of the offer upon his graduation from the Academy.

Kurui merely gave him a pat on the back and a thumbs up. She laments over the fact that he doesn't want to join the Seventh Division like she did, but promises to come over to the Sixth Division more often to visit him, claiming to help relieve him of the boredom that comes from being a member of the Sixth Division.

And by that, Renji has no doubts that Kurui will never miss an opportunity to irritate and annoy him whenever she comes over from a visit. Does her mouth ever _stop_ talking?

Byakuya is a Head of a clan and he isn't always around to teach him. Kurui took the role of his teacher when that happens. Her lessons are basically a one-sided beatdown as she very gleefully pummelled him six feet under the ground, all the while teasing him about various things. For a midget, the force of the punches she casually threw is enough to level a sea of trees. He never would have expected someone like her to possess such strength.

And if he thought that her punches are scary, her skills in the sword is something that gives him nightmares every single time he is on the receiving end of it. There are no showy movements, no flashy strikes, just plain swings that uses the minimum action to achieve the required effect. There are no wasted movements involved as she slashed at him with the intent to kill, with his legs as the only saving grace when he uses it to run as far away from her as possible.

He couldn't tell as a street rat from the 78th District, but after his lessons with Byakuya, he now possesses an eye good enough to tell that the infuriating midget had put in decades of effort in honing her skills in the sword. Despite her harmless appearance, she is someone you would never want to cross.

Her respect for her grew after that, even if he is still annoyed by how she purposely poked fun at him for his hair, his tattoos, teasing him about him and Rukia all the damn time, along with many other things he is too lazy to mention. But he is a retainer of the Kuchiki clan and Kurui is also his master. He will serve her until his dying breath, just as he had sworn for Byakuya.

He is Abarai Renji, retainer of the Kuchiki clan and Kuchiki Rukia's best friend. He is a Shinigami-in-training who will one day grow into one of the deadliest warriors Soul Society had ever birthed. He is the one who will one day work his way up to be Kuchiki Byakuya's right hand man and surpass him.

The Kuchiki siblings had given him the chance to show the world what he can really be, and he is going to make full use of it.


	8. Chapter 8- Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto

Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto is a man who had walked the grounds of Soul Society for more than two millenniums. His power is a force of nature, his presence itself strikes fear into his foes, his aura commands respect from his subordinates. He takes his duties seriously and is stern in his approach in upholding the hard-earned peace in Soul Society. How he carries himself and what was passed down through generations about his legendary feats is why Shinigamis in the Gotei 13 both respect and fear him.

That is why the moment he returned from a Captains' meeting, he took a pause and rubbed his eyes to check if his eyesight is truly failing him in his old age. Why is there a little girl, the robes on her person telling him that she is a Shinigami from the _Seventh Division_, standing in front at the doors of his office and dozing off as she leaned against the wall?

The soft snores he heard from the girl told him that his eyesight is indeed working perfectly, so he barked at the girl in his usual authoritative voice.

"Wake up, Shinigami!"

"Wha?! What?! Who?! I'm up! I'm up!"

The little girl who is only about one or two centuries old at most jumped up on her feet upon hearing his booming voice. The aged warrior frowned. What is Sajin doing? He must be getting lax in disciplining his men if this girl's behaviour is any indication.

"Oh, hi!" The young girl gave him a wave after the customary bow she gave him in respect of his position. "I heard from Captain Kyoraku that you have a nice tea set, so I came to ask to borrow it! May I borrow your tea set for a while? _Pleeeeasssee_?"

And **_that_**, was the first time Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto found himself truly dumbfounded in the two millenniums that he had lived. Not even facing against Yhwach and his ridiculous powers in his youth had that effect on him.

Despite how unbelievable he found it, that a young girl would come _all the way_ to his barracks to ask him for permission _to borrow his tea set_, the aged Captain let her into his office anyway. She had obviously waited outside his doors for a long time, she at least deserves an audience no matter how brief it is.

What he initially planned to be an approximately two-minute talk before shooing the girl out of his office turned out to be a pleasant conversation that took several hours. He still remembers the very first question he posed to the girl. It was one that he just had to ask to sate his curiosity.

"How did you get to my office's doors?"

"I simply walked!"

"Walk?"

"Yup! For some reason, nobody stopped me when I entered the barracks. So I just kept on walking until I got here! I wanted to just borrow your tea set and leave a note behind to tell you about it, but then I remembered Sofu said that it is bad manners to do so without asking. So I decided to wait for your return!"

The Captain Commander can feel his slitted eyes twitching irritably in return, even it is so minute that no one would have spotted it. The route to his office is heavily guarded and not just anyone is granted an audience with him here. If a girl only about a century old is able to sneak past all his men, including his vice-captain, by **_walking_**, then it seems that **_he_** has been too lax with his men, not Sajin.

Sajin had raised a fine warrior in this little girl.

"If you want to borrow my tea set, then show me that you using it will not tarnish its purpose. Go brew me a cup of tea. If I deem your work satisfactory, I will allow you to borrow it."

"Aye aye, Captain!"

With a salute, the energetic girl dashed off to grab his tea set from where it is sitting on his shelf. The Captain Commander helped a little by starting a small fire with his power over the element for the kettle to boil, but that is all the help he is going to give. Come to think of it, he hasn't asked the small Shinigami for her name. He should ask for it later.

Yamamoto watched in approval as the little girl performed the tea ceremony perfectly. Not many appreciate the art that comes with the ceremony nowadays, something that he laments about the youngsters in Seireitei. Even his vice-captain, Sasakibe Chojiro, has different preferences from him when it comes to tea. His long-time subordinate prefers the western tradition when it comes to appreciating tea, unlike him who prefers the eastern tradition. The young girl is preparing the tea with the ways of the eastern tradition, something which he can appreciate. It is obvious at a glance that the girl had practiced the art of brewing tea for a long time. He can entrust his favourite tea set to her for a short while like she had asked.

The girl offered him the first cup of tea which Yamamoto took. He took a whiff of the aroma. It is well done. He followed up by taking his first sip. Splendid. He hasn't had such a nice cup of tea in decades, or has it been centuries? At the very least, his skills in making tea isn't as good as this little girl despite how long he had been doing it.

"Girl, what's your name?"

"Kuchiki Kurui, Third Seat of the Seventh Division, at your service!" The girl replied proudly. Yamamoto opened his eyes a little wider and finally spotted the kenseikan she wore in her hair. It seems that his eyesight is indeed failing if he didn't notice the hairpieces until now.

"Is your grandfather well?" Yamamoto asked in genuine curiosity. Kuchiki Ginrei had been one of his finest warriors and is finally able to retire. He misses the warrior that had the same views as him when it comes to upholding the peace in Soul Society. Despite that, Yamamoto believes that Ginrei had made the right choice in passing on the baton to Byakuya.

"He is! Thanks for asking! I heard a lot about you from him!"

"Good things, I hope." Yamamoto said in amusement. His mood had somehow got a lot lighter with the bubbly girl around. "Your clan does not lack fine tea sets, so why do you want to risk incurring my wrath to borrow mine?"

"Well, there are many reasons." The girl looked up in thought with a finger to her chin. "For one, I am curious what the First Division is like since I've never been here before. Two, if even Captain Kyoraku claimed that your tea set is the best, then it has to be the best. Three, I really want to brew a nice cup of tea for Sofu. I had the best tea leaves, but I need the best tea set to go along with it and you have what I needed. Four…"

The conversation carried on after that, with Yamamoto asking the girl questions and her giving him answers. It soon became a sharing session to her from him about his experiences and the battles he had been in, making sure that the bloodier ones are suitably censored for the little girl. He taught her a few tricks when she admitted that she is just above average in Hakuda. She told him about the latest happenings in the Seireitei. He allowed her to use his prized tea leaves collection to continue to brew tea for the two of them as their conversation carried on. She continues to brew heavenly tea for him as she chattered without stop.

It is a nice change of pace to be able to act like the weary old man that he truly is. He has no children of his own. He has Shunsui and Jushiro, who he viewed as his sons in all but blood. They have no children and he doesn't have any grandchildren as well, so having a little girl who is able to talk to him without fear of his status is a refreshing experience. Vice-captain Kusajishi from the Eleventh Division doesn't fear him as well, but she never visits unless there are promises of snacks. He could count on one hand how often these occasions are.

"You are more than welcomed to visit whenever you are free, Third Seat Kuchiki." Yamamoto remembered when their first meeting finally ended, he even personally wrapped his favourite tea set and put it in its box for the young Kuchiki to bring back home. "Next time, my men will be on alert since I will be giving them a stern talking to after this for failing to detect you. If you can continue to sneak past them the next time you visit, I will share more stories with you."

"Yay! Thank you, Captain Commander!"

The Kuchiki girl made her exit with a cheery wave as he gave her a farewell nod. He rang for his Vice-Captain the moment he sensed the girl leaving his division's barracks, mentally noting the path she took to exit without being caught by tracking her Reiatsu. Huh, who would have thought sneaking through the division's kitchen is a good way to freely enter and exit the barracks undetected?

His Vice-Captain appeared within minutes and Yamamoto cleared his throat. It is time to straighten his men back to their vigilant state. Geez, with how lax the youngsters are nowadays, it is no wonder that he is unable to retire.

* * *

The second time they met, the young Kuchiki is already sitting in his office brewing tea with the previously borrowed tea set.

"Hello Captain Commander!"

"Third Seat Kuchiki." Yamamoto returned the greeting as he closed the door behind him. He had known his men had failed once again when he sensed the girl's Reiatsu entering his office while he was at the other side of the barracks. It seems that he wasn't stern enough in the punishment he had dealt out to them for failing their duties. How hard can it be to catch a little girl?

As usual, Kuchiki Kurui let him have the first cup of tea. Her skills in brewing tea seems to have improved.

"Thank you for letting me borrow your tea set!" She chirped out as she brewed another batch when the tea starts to turn cold.

"Did Ginrei enjoy it?"

Kurui giggled as she continues to do what she is doing.

"You should see Sofu's face! His eyes nearly popped out when he saw me taking out your tea set! He wanted to rush here and return it to you immediately since he was convinced that I had stolen it!"

Ah, he should have guessed that the presence of his tea set in the girl's hands would have that kind of effect.

Their meetings got more frequent after that. The aged elder soon realised that Kurui is extremely sharp despite how she acted like an airhead with no sense of responsibility. She learns differently from most. Where most others would learn by studying, Kurui not only does that, but also actively listen to the experience of others and absorbed what they knew and shared. Yamamoto also prides himself as a teacher, and so he continues to share what he had experienced and learnt during their irregular meetups. He would surprise her with sudden chops to her head, explaining that it is to train her reflexes and dodging skills since she had complained to him once that she has no idea how to dodge Sajin's strikes in their Hakuda spars. She still never manages to dodge his surprise hits, but she is getting there.

Yamamoto doesn't know how she did it, but Kurui seems to know everything that is going on in the Sereitei. She is his eyes and ears with the slew of information she will tell him when asked or bribed with snacks. She would tell him how Shunsui slacks off on his job (_and Shunsui will forever be baffled as to how he got found out all the time when Yamamoto made surprise visits to the Eighth Division just right when Shunsui decided to laze around_), she would tell him about Jushiro's repeated bouts of sickness and how worried she is for him (_not that there is anything they can do for him, but Yamamoto cannot bring himself to tell her that it is an incurable disease_). She would tell him how she barged into the Fourth Division unannounced and tried to learn how to heal wounds with Kido under Retsu's motherly guidance (_something that he is sure Retsu enjoys doing_). She would tell him about the free-for-all matches she had with the Shinigamis in the Eleventh Division with gusto as she added animated hand gestures for extra effect (_something that always got him exasperated with how seemingly suicidal the girl is_).

Yamamoto would always open his eyes a little bigger whenever Kurui mentioned that she visited the Eleventh Division _again_. He needs to make sure that the little girl comes out unharmed after all. Zaraki is not known for being gentle to anyone who can put up a good fight.

And when she suddenly stopped visiting altogether, he was concerned. He is sure that he hadn't spotted any Kuchikis in the casualty reports that he receives from time to time in their efforts to uphold peace between the different realms. So where had she go to?

After sending his trusty Vice-Captain to find out the reason, Chojiro returned to him with news. The girl had volunteered to be posted to the 78th District of the Rukongai to help her new sister-in-law search for her long-lost sister. There is no telling when she will return.

Yamamoto accepted the news with a small nod of his head, although he will be missing the tea that the talkative girl brew for him. Oh well, he can afford to wait. What are decades to someone like him who had lived for more than two millenniums?

* * *

It was three years later when he saw Kurui again.

The girl is as talkative as ever. Her overall combat skills had also obviously improved, judging from how fast she took in reaching his office when he first sensed her presence outside his division's barracks. That was a pleasant surprise in itself. Before Kurui left Seireitei three years ago, his men had grown to detest Kurui in a weird sort of way, since every successful entry on her part means more scolding and harsh training sessions for them by him. It is also a humiliating display that a girl younger than more than half of the division can keep sneaking past their senses undetected. Kurui had never failed her infiltration into his division's barracks even once.

Kurui personally found their reactions to be hilarious. Every time she sneaked in, she will purposely leave big and obnoxious waypoints drawn in chalk along the way that depicted the route she took to get to his office without being caught. It is almost like she is laughing at their incapability. Safe to say, other than Yamamoto himself and Chojiro, none of the men in his division have a nice impression of her for how often she landed them in hot soup and at the mercy of their Captain Commander's subsequent fury.

The three years of peace that his men enjoyed had now come to an end with her return.

Yamamoto greeted her with an unannounced chop to her head. This time, Kurui managed to dodge it. However, she wasn't expecting a second chop from him that found its target on the top of her head.

"Captain Commander! I haven't seen you for so long and this is how you greet me?! And the second chop doesn't count!"

"You have improved, Third Seat Kuchiki." Yamamoto stated as he moved to sit at his usual spot. "Would you mind brewing some tea for this old man?"

Three years isn't a long time for souls. To them, three years passed by in the blink of an eye since their bodies track time differently as compared to humans. However, Kurui had obviously grown. She got a little taller. Her face is starting to lose the baby fats and her facial features are starting to grow sharper and more refined. Her body is starting to fill out curves that all girls her age will experience at this stage of their lives.

The unlikely pair sipped on the tea that Kurui had brew for them. Yamamoto knew that Kurui had revisited the Seireitei a few times when she was off duty in Inuzuri although she never had time to visit him. She had also come back once when Ginrei had passed away peacefully in his sleep. It was a trying time for the Kuchikis, but they pulled through.

Another of his men and good friend had left him. No matter how long Yamamoto had lived, the feeling of old comrades departing before him always left him in a solemn mood. But Ginrei had passed on his will onto his descendants. Kurui is one of them. The fire that had once burnt in him is burning strong in his grandchildren. They are the future of the Seireitei.

He and Kurui made idle talk as per usual. Kurui talked about the successful completion of her self-imposed mission and Sajin had approved of her transferring back into the Seireitei. She had overstayed in the 78th District when she had no need to. Most Shinigamis who were posted there are allowed to return back to Seireitei after a year or two. Kurui had stayed there for three years voluntarily.

Kurui told her about Rukia and Renji, her new sister and friend. She told him about how she met up with Shuhei, Kanisawa, and Aoga, the first friends that she had made and kept in constant contact via letters in the three years that she wasn't here. The trio would be graduating from the Academy in a year. Yamamoto made a mental note to keep a lookout on the three friends that had caught Kurui's eye. Maybe there will be unpolished gems among the three of them.

When it was time for them to part, Yamamoto gave Kurui a present, one that he had saw and bought just for her when he spotted it in his frequent strolls around the Seireitei.

"Captain Commander! This-"

"I have no need for two tea sets. A good tea set can only truly live its purpose with a good brewer handling it. I am entrusting it to you, Third Seat Kuchiki."

Kuchiki Kurui gave him a bright smile, one that Yamamoto enjoys seeing on the girl which he had secretly took to view as his own grandchild.

"Aye aye, Captain!"

* * *

"Captain, I saw that."

"You saw _nothing_, Chojiro." Yamamoto continues to walk as if nothing is wrong and cracked open an eye slightly to look at his most trusted subordinate, daring him to say otherwise. A few streets behind them, Kurui is munching on mochi treats that he had just secretly passed into her hands when the two walked past each other. Despite how notorious she is for her un-noble-like behaviour, Kurui carries herself professionally whenever she performs her duties in public since she has to uphold the Kuchiki name, no matter how much she views it as a chore. Yamamoto had sensed her Reiatsu during his nightly strolls and since he is nearby as she goes about doing her patrols, he had purposely detoured to check on her. Kurui greeted him with enthusiasm as he returned the greeting with his usual silent nod. And if Chojiro spotted him passing Kurui her favourite mochi treats when the two brushed past each other, then it must be the lights playing tricks on his eyes.

"Captain-"

Yamamoto continues to stare at him with one opened eye as his other remain in its usual slitted state. _He_ is the Captain Commander. Whatever he says goes.

"I saw nothing, Captain."

"As I had suspected it to be, Chojiro. Your age must be catching up to you."

His subordinate's twitching eye told him everything that he needs to know about his inner thoughts and Yamamoto tried his best to not chuckle out loud. Who says that a strict old man like him cannot indulge himself in a joke or two every now and then?


	9. Chapter 9- Like A True Onmitsukido

To be a member of the Second Division is to listen to every order given to you by your superior. To be a member of the infamous Onmitsukido, the boogeymen that adults in the Rukongai will tell the kids to scare them to go to their beds at night, is to erase your presence and sense of self. You are nothing but a tool for the Gotei 13. You are expected to throw away your own life if need be.

Omaeda Marechiyo knows he is a coward. He knows he is a cowardly, loud, vain, elitist, snobbish, greedy, and even a sluggish person. He shows off his family's wealth and status at every available opportunity. He knows he is arrogant and he is not the brightest tool in the shed, but he accepted his own shortcomings with pride. Yes, he has his flaws. So what? He still managed to earn the rank of a Vice-Captain with his own power, didn't he?

He also knows for a fact that he is absolutely loyal to Soul Society and to his Captain, Captain Sui-Feng. If she orders him to die on a suicide mission to ensure its successful completion, he will do it without a second thought. Yes, such actions are viewed as dark and morbid even by Shinigami standards, but this is the way of the Second Division. It is not a place for the weak hearted.

Still, he wished his Captain didn't just send him out on this shit job.

_Assess the Kuchiki princess's abilities. If you find her satisfactory, find a way to recruit her into the Second Division. You have one day to finish this assignment._

Even simply speaking Kuchiki Kurui's name gives him a massive headache. Her weirdness is widely known among the Shinigami populace and her boldness is something that belongs to the legends. He doesn't know how, but the story of how she infiltrated the First Division barracks to borrow the **_Captain Commander's_** tea set (is she even sane at this point?) had somehow twisted to her trying to… assassinate the aged warrior? Because he accidentally killed her pet cat when he accidentally sneezed and the cat caught fire? And then it somehow turns into the Captain Commander adopting her as his surrogate granddaughter because… _flying monkeys eat pudding_?

_What even?_

The stupidity of his fellow Shinigamis really left him speechless at times.

There is a good reason why his Captain sent him out on this mission. The Captain Commander had once asked the Kuchiki princess to secretly test the security of every division by infiltrating it and come back with proof of her successful infiltration. It was a personal job handed to her by their leader and it was a successful attempt on her part.

He could still remember the day when the aged Captain suddenly called the entire squad of Captains and Vice-Captains of the Gotei 13 for an urgent meeting. He showed them stuffs ranging from, and not limited to, Captain Sui-Feng's lingerie, Captain Ichimaru's personal stash of dried persimmons, Captain Unohana's favourite book, Captain Aizen's spare glasses, Captain Kuchiki's favourite scarf that he never allowed Kurui to touch, Captain Komamura's spare helmet, Captain Kyoraku's very expensive pinwheel hairpins, Captain Tousen's journal which he documents his secret recipes, Captain Isshin's very descriptive pornography novels, Captain Zaraki's spare eyepatch, Captain Kurotsuchi's bottle of face paint, and Captain Ukitake's favourite bottle of sake.

Needless to say, the Captains were either furious, appalled, amused, or embarrassed at the items on display during the meeting when the Captain Commander took them out from a rucksack one by one like items on auction. Also, every single one of them were chewed out by their enraged Captain Commander for being so lax in their division's security that a mere girl can literally stroll into their barracks and paint graffiti on the walls of their barracks to mock them. The girl even took video footages (_from wherever she found a video camera from, Omaeda has no idea_) as proof that showed how she walked inside each of their Captain's rooms and took her own sweet time to choose what to steal. Her cheerful commentary throughout the entire video isn't helping with their Captain Commander's already volatile temper during the entire duration of the 'memorable' meeting.

Some of the Captains laughed the incident off. Others like Captain Kurotsuchi and his own Captain aren't so forgiving or lenient, but the Captain Commander is on Kurui's side so none of them can do anything about the infuriating Kuchiki. However, that doesn't stop them from literally implementing a 'kill-on-sight' order if Kurui was spotted wandering around their barracks. Kurui had taken that as a challenge the moment she knew about it. The result?

The Second Division is now painted in a bright neon orange within a single night. How she managed to paint the entire division without anyone knowing or catching her in the act is anyone's guess. And if you are wondering about the Captain Commander's reaction to her actions? Do you even need to ask?

Captain Sui-Feng was given a good tongue-lashing by the Captain Commander in front of her entire division for being so lax on her men. It was a humiliating experience for someone as prideful as her.

Despite the amount of hate his Captain have for the annoying midget, she is a Captain who can see the bigger picture and the larger scheme of things, something that Omaeda can respect. Kuchiki Kurui is good at what she does. To be able to slip past the entire division's senses undetected to do something as outrageous as repainting the entire division shows that she has some mad skills in the stealth department. Captain Sui-Feng doesn't like Kuchiki Kurui all that much as a person, but she values Kurui as a fellow Shinigami.

Kurui will flourish if she is in the Second Division and personally taught by his Captain. Kurui being a member of the Seventh Division is a huge waste of her talent. She can do so much more in the Second Division.

Hence, the mission he was given.

It still doesn't make it any easier for Omaeda, because _how on earth will he go about recruiting that irritating weirdo into their division_?! How is he supposed to convince her?! It's not like he can use his family's wealth and influence to aid him to coerce her because Kurui is a _Kuchiki_. Her family's status and wealth put even his to shame. Her brother, the Captain of the Sixth Division, is also notoriously protective of Kurui. Anyone who shows even a hint of hostility towards her can expect to be on the receiving end of the terrifying sakura petals within the next 24 hours. It got to the point that 'Raining Sakura' is actually a legitimate term used in their weather forecast department. Ridiculous, right?

Thus, the only way to safely go about recruiting Kuchiki Kurui is for her to willingly transfer herself to his division. He needs to convince her that the Second Division is better than any other divisions out there. But how?

After an entire sleepless night of planning and contemplating on how he is going to go about to complete this impossible mission, he decided that he needs to first gather some reliable intel on his target. Covert ops is what the Second Division is best at anyway.

And so, like a true member of the Onmitsukido, Omaeda commenced his mission.

* * *

He is already outside Kuchiki Kurui's bunk even before the crack of dawn. Sneaking past the Seventh Division's guards is no problem to a Vice-Captain like him. He needs to find if there is a set pattern to her daily activities, find out her likes and dislikes, what makes her tick and what she avoids. Only then can he start to formulate a proper argument to convince her to join his division.

From where he is hidden behind the dense foliage of leaves at the top of the tree and spying through the open window of her bunk, he can see Kuchiki Kurui sleeping peacefully without a care in the world covered by a blanket. Omaeda can't stop the twitching of his mouth. Even in sleep this damn Kuchiki seems to be mocking at his plight. Look at how carefree she is as compared to him, freezing up in the treetops thanks to the cold morning breeze while she is snuggled comfortably in that warm blanket of hers.

For someone who is renown for her laziness in doing her work, she sure wakes up surprisingly early.

She caught his attention when she squirmed a little in bed before giving a lazy stretch similar to those of a cat the moment she woke up from dreamland minutes later. He focused his gaze as the Kuchiki princess sat up on her bed with a yawn, the blanket slowly dropping off her. Omaeda's gaze lingered on her chest area when he saw that she is only wearing a loose robe on her person that is nearly slipping off her shoulders, showing off a lot more skin that she will not usually display. Just a little more and…

_GAH! FOCUS, OMAEDA MARECHIYO! NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO BE OGLING AT GIRLS!_

In his disappointment (_although he will never admit it when asked_), Kurui pulled her robes back up just _right before_ it fell off her shoulders. She disappeared from view when she jumped off her bed to do her morning routine. Fifteen minutes later, the properly dressed Shinigami exited her bunk in her Shinigami uniform with her zanpakuto slung across her back. Omaeda followed after her a set distance away, out of sight and out of her detection range, just like what is expected from a member from the Second Division.

Unexpectedly, the first place she headed to even before she had her breakfast is the Eleventh Division.

From where Omaeda secretly perched himself on the roof of the Eleventh Division's barracks, he can see with perfect clarity what the little Kuchiki did the moment she entered the Eleventh Division barracks like it is her own home.

"YUMI-CHAN! MADA-CHANNNNNN! _WAKE UPPPPPPPPPP_! RISE AND SHINE COS IT'S REMATCH TIME!"

Her hollering could have woken up the entire division and he wouldn't be surprised.

A loud war cry that sounded more animal than human was her only reply when a figure with shining bald head appeared in a burst of speed and proceeded to hack at her with his own zanpakuto.

"About damn time, Kurui!"

"Nyeh~ Come catch me if you can Saitama-chan!"

After childishly making a face at the Third Seat of the Eleventh Division, the Third Seat of the Seventh Division began a dance of swords with the battle crazed Madarame Ikkaku. More and more of the Shinigamis from the Eleventh Division began to pour out from their bunks and crowd around the courtyard where Ikkaku and Kurui are having their violent spar, cheering them on with uncouth hoots and shouts.

"Stop running away like a fucking coward! Be a man and face me!"

"In case the lack of hair somehow killed your brain cells, I am a **woman** you stupid one punch man!"

"What the hell is one punch man?!"

"Someone who becomes a hero just for fun! All you need to do to get there is to complete 100 daily push-ups, sit-ups, squats, plus 10km of daily running and bam! You become a Saitama!"

"_What_ the hell are you talking about?!"

Whatever Omaeda was expecting, he wasn't expecting Kurui to be _this good_ in combat. Sure, he knows she must have some nifty combat skills to get herself promoted to Third Seat, but he wasn't expecting to be Ikkaku's equal in a fight.

"Oh, hiya Captain Zaraki!"

The Captain with the most intimidating presence bar the Captain Commander himself gave a grunt as his only reply to Kurui as he watched with sleepy interest at the fight unfolding in front of him.

"Go Rui-chan! Kick Mada-chan's ass!"

Vice-Captain Kusajishi's encouragement got Kurui to increase the pace of the battle with a smirk on her face.

"Watch it, Mada-chan! Lo and behold! Here I come!"

Omaeda watched in awe as Kurui did something that he only saw his Captain had done before.

Many illusionary copies of Kurui formed as they surround Madarame Ikkaku in the centre. This version of high-speed movement using Shunpo is not easy to attain. **_How_**_ did this midget learn to do this?!_

"Parlour tricks won't fucking work on me, Kurui!"

"We will see about that, one punch man! Prepare for trouble, and make it double! To protect the world from-"

The chorus of replies from the clones was the signal for Ikkaku to try and decimate the clones with a powerful swing of his sword, cutting Kurui's dramatic words off prematurely. The battle hungry idiots on the ground may not be able to see it but from Omaeda's vantage point, he can see that the real copy is right behind Ikkaku, in a squatting position with the tip of her sword's sheath pointing at the unknowing bald-headed warrior as she held it with both hands, her own zanpakuto stabbed into the ground since its wielder's hands are now occupied with something else.

The ominous look on Kurui's face together with the sinister glint in her eyes gives even Omaeda the chill. The evil smirk she sports makes him want to turn around and hightail out of here. What is she planning to do? Some super-secret Kuchiki clan technique?!

"Kuchiki Clan Secret Taijutsu Technique!" Kurui shouted out as she shot forward towards Ikkaku with speed too fast for even Omaeda to see clearly. The tip of her sword's sheath found its mark when she jabbed it at the centre of Ikkaku's ass in a forceful manner at the place where the sun doesn't shine.

"**ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH**!"

_WHAT IN THE EVER-LOVING HELL?! AN ASS POKE?!_

The birds in the surrounding area scattered frightfully when Ikkaku's painful scream resonated across the entire Eleventh Division. Everyone who were witnessing the fight all clenched their buttocks unconsciously with their hands protecting said area. Ikkaku flew into the air from the painful thrust to his anus, his propelled flight is very much like those of a cannonball and to Omaeda's growing horror, is flying straight to him.

_Need to run need to run need to run-_

At that unfortunate moment, as if some unseen force is interfering with him, Omaeda somehow slipped on his feet. He can only watch as the unavoidable missile known as Madarame Ikkaku slammed into him with his bald head and tears of pain streaming down his face.

What a way to start off his mission.

* * *

Thankfully, Ikkaku was rendered unconscious immediately after that traumatising ass poke, so the Third Seat of the Eleventh Division didn't know he collided into Omaeda. Omaeda's cover isn't blown yet.

Omeada gave a sincere silent prayer to the fallen Shinigami before he made his leave to continue his spying on Kurui. No one should have gone through something as traumatising as that. That was something that even Omaeda won't wish on his most hateful enemies.

When he finally located Kurui again, the teenage girl had already changed location and is moving towards another area. From the looks of it, she is heading to the Thirteenth Division. The sun had rose by now. More and more Shinigamis are now up and about doing their daily activities, making it harder for him to remain stealthy.

Still, that would not pose a problem to someone of his skill level. He _is_ the Vice-Captain of the Second Division, no matter how un-stealthy he looks.

"Good morning Captain Ukitake!"

Upon spotting Kurui, Captain Ukitake waved a welcoming hello to her as well.

"Kurui-chan!"

The little Kuchiki hopped over to the Captain of the Thirteenth Division like a bunny as she allowed the sickly Captain to pet her on the head.

"I was just about to have breakfast, would you like to join?"

"Yay! Free food!"

* * *

Omaeda is miserable. _Absolutely miserable_. He had never felt more miserable in his life.

About thirty meters away from his target, Omaeda is hiding his presence by skilfully masking it with the secret techniques only passed down to the higher echelons of the Second Division. Techniques that can hide his presence even from Captains. Meanwhile, he is sorrowfully munching his cold rice ball in small reluctant bites. The bland taste in the sorry excuse for food he is eating isn't helping with his appetite. If it wasn't for the fact that his stomach was growling so loudly that he has to find a way to stop it from making a symphony, he wouldn't want to even touch this distasteful rice ball.

In stark contrast, approximately thirty meters away from him, his target and Captain Ukitake are enjoying a steaming, piping-hot meal complete with his favourite snack.

_Fried Rice Crackers._

Not just any fried rice crackers too, but the one that is sold in the store three blocks away from the Ninth Division barracks. It is so popular that all the fried rice crackers are sold out within two hours after the store's opening every single day. Even he has trouble trying to get his hands on some of those mouth-watering rice crackers.

Oblivious to his internal crisis, the white-haired Captain and the black-haired princess ate their meals with a content expression on their faces. As if rubbing salt on his already aggravated wound, the Kuchiki munched on her rice crackers in a loud and obnoxious manner, occasionally giving out content '_mmmpphhs'_ and '_ahhhhs'_ at the heavenly taste. If he didn't know any better, he might have thought that the infuriating girl is doing this on purpose.

_WHY?! **WHY** IS **HE** UNDERGOING THIS TORTURE! THIS IS SO TORMENTING!_

"Slow down, Kurui." The Captain chuckled upon seeing how the girl of noble birth ate without any sense of manners or decorum. "No one is here to snatch your food away from you."

_'If only you knew, Captain.'_ Omaeda thought with bitterness as he watched as the small plate filled with rice crackers diminishing at an alarming rate. It is taking all of Omaeda's willpower not to go out right now to rob the plate filled with the legendary fried rice crackers, his mission be damned. _'If only you knew_.'

"But Captain~~" Kurui gave a childish whine. "These rice crackers are to die for!"

At least that is one thing he and Kurui can agree on. _Leave some for him, please! Even crumbs will do!_

"Well, if you really love them that much." Captain Ukitake took out five packets from his robes and passed it to the delighted Kuchiki. "I do have a few packets with me, eat them at your own leisure."

_NOOOOOO_! These are the special edition fried rice crackers that are only sold once a month! _AND CAPTAIN UKITAKE HAS **FIVE** PACKETS OF THOSE?! _

"Woohoo! Watch me finish them all, Captain!"

Omaeda turned around, closed his eyes, and forcefully close his ears shut with his palms the moment he heard the tempting crunching sounds. He held back the tears threatening to spill out of his eyes as he imagined the rice crackers disappearing into Kurui's mouth as she ate it in that obnoxious manner of hers.

_Crunch, crunch, crunch_

"This is **_really_** good, Captain! You sure you don't want some?"

_GAHH! DAMN THAT MIDGET! STOP MUNCHING SO LOUDLY! WHO EVEN MAKES SUCH A HUGE RACKET WHEN EATING FRIED RICE CRACKERS ANYWAY?!_

* * *

As Omaeda sneakily followed Kurui out of the Thirteenth Division's barracks after her breakfast with the sickly Captain, he mentally summarised what he had learnt so far about his target.

1) Kurui is execeptionally skilled in combat, 2) Never let her get to your back if you want to protect your backside, 3) She is on good terms with the people in the Eleventh and Thirteenth Divisions, including the Captains.

Ignoring the fact that all of his intel on Kuchiki Kurui seems close to useless at first glance, his information about her also shows that this is overall bad news for him. His chances of persuading her to transfer over to the Second Division seems slimmer now.

"Shuhei!"

Kuchiki slapped a tall man on his back from behind in the crowded street they are at, prompting the Shinigami to turn around.

"Kurui!"

Is that her friend? He seems familiar. Oh, he is from the Ninth Division, right? The up and coming rising star of his Division?

"Come on, let's go say hi to Aoga and Kanisawa!"

"Wai-"

The poor bloke wasn't given time to reply before he was forcefully whisked away by the energetic ball of energy. Where is she heading to this time?

* * *

"-And this complication is why healing Kido cannot heal wounds of this kind. To get around this issue, you need to-"

Omaeda is trying his best to stay awake and not nod off from the sheer boredom he is experiencing. He is trying his best, really. He swears on his family name and his honour that he is really trying to complete the mission given to him by his Captain to the best of his ability.

Unfortunately for him, Captain Unohana is also known for giving long boring lectures when it comes to the subject of healing. Her long lectures are known to put even the most awake of Shinigamis to sleep. There is a saying in the rumour mill that if anyone ever suffers from a case of insomnia, then attending Captain Unohana's lectures might actually help.

This is so _boring_.

Right now, his target, together with her friend Shuhei, are attending a lecture on healing Kido personally conducted by the Captain of the Fourth Division, Unohana Retsu. Another two Shinigamis who went by the name Kanisawa and Aoga are with them as well. Apparently these two are also friends of his target and Shuhei. The latter two joined the Fourth Division after their graduation from the Academy.

It has been a long, agonising three hours of lecture thus far and the only people still awake in the lecture (_discounting him since he is still in stealth mode_) are the four that he mentioned earlier, who are still listening attentively to whatever Captain Unohana is spewing from her mouth. Even then, the self-proclaimed vigilant and always alert Omaeda cannot stop the uncontrollable nodding of his head as he fought the uphill war with his current nemesis in the form of sleepiness.

At least he now knows that his target has an interest in healing Kido. Another thing to note down in his mental list.

"-And this concludes the lecture on healing Kido-"

Omaeda did a mental cheer and a happy little dance in his head upon hearing these words. _FINALLY_!

"-And we will now move on to how to heal wounds without Kido-"

As quickly as his mood had rose, it plummeted just as fast. _Is giving up on this mission an option_? Is it worth it to get himself skinned alive by his Captain for purposely failing this mission given to him?

"YAY! More things to learn!"

If only he can share his target's enthusiasm in this subject.

"You should visit my Division more often if you have such a keen interest in healing, Kurui." Captain Unohana spoke in a motherly tone in Kurui's direction before her voice descended into an ominous dark one as she directed her next sentence to the rest of the class.

"At least you and your friends listened my lecture right till the very end, **_unlike CERTAIN PEOPLE who dozed off halfway into my class_**."

As if on cue, the rest of the class who were sleeping the entire time all jumped up on their seats with their backs ramrod straight, now fully awake.

No kidding, even Omaeda himself is now fully awake after that terrifying display and he isn't even right there in the classroom itself.

"Right, since now I have everyone's undivided attention." Captain Unohana's facial expression immediately went back to her usual gentle visage. Any traces of her scary demeanour had mysteriously vanished. "We will now move on to-"

Omaeda gave a frustrated sigh in the confines of his mind. There it goes again. Of all days Kurui had to go for Captain Unohana's lessons, why must it be _today_?!

* * *

"CAPTAIN SHIBA!"

"KURUI-CHAN!"

"CAPTAIN SHIBA!"

"KURUI-CHAN!"

Omaeda watched with his mouth opened in disbelief as his target and Captain Shiba Isshin, the Captain of the Tenth Division, stand about ten meters in front of Kuchiki Kurui with his arms spread _wiiiiiideeeee_ open in a 'come-to-me' gesture. Kurui is doing the exact same thing. The two of them are just shouting each other's name loudly in front of the Tenth Division's barracks in that same gesture. Even now, he cannot bring himself to believe that he is seeing what he is seeing from where he is hiding himself.

"CAPTAIN SHIBA!"

"KURUI-CHAN!"

"CAPTAIN SHIBA!"

"KURUI-CHAN!"

Would you believe him if he said that these two idiots have been going at it for the last half an hour? Judging by how no one is coming out to stop them and how no one is giving them even a passing glance as they walked by, Omaeda surmised that this is a common occurrence for the Tenth Division by now.

Correction, there is still one person that is still unaccustomed to this madness.

"Oh for crying out loud!" A white-haired boy that is even shorter than Kurui stormed out of the Tenth Division's barracks, marching in fury towards his Captain who is standing opposite Kurui right outside the barracks in a comical manner. "Would the both of you just **_SHUT UP_**?! There are people trying to do their own work here!"

"CAPTAIN SHIBA!"

"KURUI-CHAN!"

As if breaking a spell, Hitsugaya Toshiro's words got the two idiots to sprint towards each other in slow motion with tears pouring down the sides of their faces. _And why the hell are they sparkling as they run_?

"CAPTAIN SHIBA!"

"KURUI-CHAN!"

Omaeda was temporarily blinded by an unknown source of light when the pair hugged each other and wailed like new-borns. Wait. Why is there an image of the sunset at the beach at the background? Where did the beach come from? _What sorcery is this_?!

"Captain Shiba! Shiro-kun is so unyouthful! This cannot be allowed to continue!" Kurui said in a dramatic fashion as she wailed at the 'loss of youth' in Toshiro, whose head is now held low with the shadow of his bangs covering his eyes, blocking anyone's view of them. However, there is an unmistakable shaking of his small frame.

"You are right, Kurui-chan!" Captain Shiba said his words just as loud as he clenched a fist while looking up at the sky towards the blazing sun, his tears somehow still flowing rapidly that could have filled buckets. "We need to make Shiro-kun youthful again!"

"It's _Hitsugaya-san_ to you, _Kuchiki_." Hitsugaya Toshiro hissed out as the temperature around him starts to drop, his own fists clenched in both annoyance and anger.

"_Awww_, Shiro-kun is still so _shy_!" Kurui cooed out in that annoying voice of hers as it went up at least an octave higher. "And I thought we were friends, Shiro-kun! Fellow geniuses have to stick with each other!"

"Do **NOT** call me by **THAT**."

"Captain~~~" Kurui whined as she faced Captain Shiba with flailing arms as she flapped it animatedly. "Shiro-kun isn't cute and youthful at all! Wahh~~"

"I must have made a mistake in raising him somehow!" Captain Shiba replied just as comically. "Yosh! As of now, we will both accompany Toshiro whenever he walks around the Seireitei and we will walk with our hands-"

"-while wearing a green spandex jumpsuit."

"-while wearing a green spandex jumpsuit." Captain Shiba added upon Kurui's helpful reminder. "And if we are not able to complete it, we will do another extra ten rounds-"

"SIT UPON THE FROZEN HEAVENS, HYORINMARU!"

"_EEEK_! Get the ice off my hair! This is most unyouthful, Shiro-kun!"

"DON'T. CALL. ME. **THAT**!"

* * *

"Captain Commander!"

"Third Seat Kuchiki." The aged leader gave a subtle nod in her direction the moment she entered his office through the opened window. "I see that you have successfully infiltrated my Division's barracks once again."

"Captain~~ There is a creep following me the entire day! The ENTIRE day!" Kurui spread her arms wide out in a semi-circle arc to further emphasise her point. "I need help!"

Yamamoto merely gave an amused chuckle. If Kurui really wants to lose her tail, she could have done it at any time she wished. She is just here because she thought that it would be more fun to drag him into this. Of course he sensed Vice-Captain Omaeda trailing after the girl long before she reached here, the girl he took to viewing as his granddaughter. The dense Vice-Captain of the Second Division had wisely stayed outside his Division's barracks, not daring to take a step inside.

"-I know he was watching me sleep even before the sun rose! Can you believe it?! I was barely dressed too! Who knows what else the creep might have seen-"

Yamamoto can feel his anger slowly simmering at the thought. Omaeda had dared to **_what_**?!

His anger was temporarily appeased when a stroke of genius struck him. He is the Captain Commander and him personally punishing Omaeda would be overkill. There are things that he avoids doing due to his status. However, if the person doing the punishing is someone who is an overprotective older brother and has a serious case of sister complex…

"-And _what if_ I am unable to get myself married in the future because I was peeped on?! I might need to commit seppuku to prove to others that I am an upright maiden and not a dirty whore-"

And Yamamoto cannot bring himself to pity the poor fool for incurring his wrath no matter how much he tried. That buffoon got what he deserved for even daring to _peep_ on Kurui, even it is more likely that Sui-Feng had sent her clumsy subordinate to spy on the young Kuchiki for whatever reasons. Most likely to recruit Kurui after her wonderful performance in troubleshooting the security problems among his divisions.

Yup, that person is a more suitable candidate to dish out whatever punishment he deems fit on Omaeda. For now, he will just appease the dramatic girl with her favourite mochi snacks.

* * *

"Report."

Omaeda got down to a single knee at the command of his Captain. His hair, whatever little is left on his head, is messy and his clothes are dishevelled. There is even a thin layer ice clinging onto his uniform.

"After following the target for an entire day, I found out that she has personal connections to at least half of the Captains in the Seireitei. She is strong enough to defeat Third Seat Madarame with her sword's sheath in a single strike from the back. She is also very close to Captain Ukitake judging from how he gave her the rarest fried rice crackers-"

"I SAID REPORT ONLY THE USEFUL THINGS, OMAEDA! I have enough of your stupid rice crackers!"

"R-Right." Omaeda shivered on the spot as he starts to sweat profusely from the increase of Reiatsu his Captain is leaking. "T-Target is also keen on learning healing Kido, as can be seen from how she attended six hours worth of lectures conducted by Captain Unohana on the subject. T-Target is also able to fight off Third Seat Hitsugaya before making her escape and subsequently infiltrated the First Division's barracks. I wasn't able to follow her in b-because…w-well…i-it's the _First Division_ and the Captain Commander-"

"Save it." Sui-Feng bristled. "I shouldn't have expected you to find out anything useful."

"C-Captain? If I may add?"

"Speak."

"I-I don't think the target is a good addition to our division due to her personality."

His Captain seemed to ponder upon his words as she frowned in thought. At least she values his input.

"Is that your honest opinion?"

"Yes."

"Fine. Then we will give up on trying to convince her to join us. For now."

Omaeda let out a sigh of relief the moment he was dismissed. It's over.

It's finally over and he can now go back to his sweet, comfy bed and knock himself out until tomorrow comes.

* * *

"Vice-Captain Omaeda Marechiyo."

Omaeda turned around to see who had called out for him in the middle of the street. He tried his best to not let his face turn white upon spotting him.

_Kuchiki Byakuya_

"G-Good morning, Captain Kuchiki!" Omaeda tried his best to not squeal in fear as the wielder of the sakura petals of doom approached him. "How may I help you?"

"I had heard from the Captain Commander that you are a very diligent person." The Captain spoke in a cold monotonous tone. "To the extent that you are willing to get your intel on your target at whatever costs necessary."

"I-It's the way of my Division, sir." Omaeda squeaked out. Did Kuchiki Byakuya find out about what he did yesterday? That couldn't be, right?

"Usually, I don't care who and what you spy on." Byakuya growled out as his Reiatsu suddenly blasted out in a suffocating manner, dropping Omaeda onto his knees. "But you _do know_ the consequences of spying on _my sister_, don't you?"

"I-I-"

Just at that moment, the broadcast system installed in the Seireitei sounded out.

"Attention all souls, today's weather forecast is 'Raining Sakura'. All unrelated personnel are advised to find shelter and stay there until the storm has passed. This announcement is brought to you by the Seireitei's Weather Forecast Department. Attention all souls,-"

No wonder there aren't anyone walking about today. He should have checked the damn weather forecast before he exited his house this morning.

"I hope you are prepared to _die_, Omaeda Marechiyo."

"W-Wait! I can explain!" Omaeda exclaimed as he fought through the suffocating pressure to even speak and held his in front of him in a placating manner.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

And for the entire duration that Omaeda Marechiyo is screaming like a pig on slaughter and running for dear life, he missed a certain raven-haired girl gleefully snapping pictures with a camera while cackling out loud and recording the entire thing on video at the same time. It was only a month later when he was finally allowed to get himself discharged from the medical facility in the Fourth Division did he get wind that Kurui had known right from the very start that he was watching her.

He had been played like a fiddle the entire time.

It was from then on that 'Kuruiphobia' became the new legitimate phobia in the Fourth Division's medical books, at least for the case of Omaeda. Word has it that wherever direction the girl comes from, Omaeda will slip out in the opposite way. Word also has it that the poor guy will scream in fright every single time he spotted a sakura flower or even see anything remotely pink in colour. Captain Kyoraku was saddened at the fact since he cannot wear his favourite haori in Omaeda's presence lest it accidentally drives him insane. When Captain Unohana was interviewed for her thoughts on this matter, she only stated that Omaeda was lucky to have faced Byakuya instead of _her_. The Shinigami Women's Association were defending Kurui's and Byakuya's actions with righteous fury, citing the fact that it is wrong for Omaeda to even peep on Kurui in the first place.

Throughout it all, Omaeda bear the brunt of the reactions in stride, not disclosing the truth of his peeping that is in actuality a spying mission given to him by his Captain since it must be kept secret. Such is the way of the Onmitsukido. To do the unappreciated dirty work of Seireitei even at the cost of your reputation. The mission always comes first.

"_O~mae~da~_"

Omaeda ran for dear life the moment he heard Kurui hunting for him like a cat does to a rat. He called out to the one other person that knows the full truth, the person that can save him from the demon known as Kuchiki Kurui. Kurui is bad news for him. Things had never gone well for him whenever she is involved.

Thus, ignoring his carefully maintained image that he had painstakingly carved for himself for centuries, he called for help in a very undignified manner that is unbefitting of his status. His survival is the most important thing after all. The rest doesn't matter as long as he is save from Kurui's evil claws.

"CAPTAIN SUI-FENG! _SAVE MEEEEE_!"


	10. Chapter 10- Close Call

"**WHERE IS SHE**?!"

Kuchiki Byakuya stormed through the medical wards of the Fourth Division. Everyone who was in his way quickly parted to let him through. No one is courageous enough to stop the angry Captain on his warpath.

He spotted Shiba Miyako and her husband, Shiba Kaien, immediately.

"Kaien." He growled as he physically hoisted the Vice-Captain of the Thirteenth Division off his feet and pulled him closer. "_Where. Is. She_?!"

"Captain Unohana is still operating on her." Kaien tried his best to keep his cool and not faint under the pressure of Byakuya's Reiatsu. He may be a Vice-Captain, but the difference in power between him and Byakuya is as clear as night and day.

"If anything happens to Rui, it's on you and your wife." He spat out as he threw Kaien violently back to the ground and Miyako quickly helped him back up on his feet.

"It's not Kaien's fault, it's my fault." Miyako whispered out, trying to control her tears from spilling out. "If it wasn't for me, Kurui won't-"

"Miyako." Kaien put a hand on his wife's hand to comfort her. "She will be fine. Have faith in her and Captain Unohana."

Byakuya could care less whose fault it was. All he knows right now is that his sister is currently in the operating room with her life hanging in the balance.

It was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission.

Hollow sightings have become more frequent and irregular around the Rukongai, something which had garnered the Gotei 13's attention. The irregular phenomenon had gotten them alarmed. The plan they decided on was to first send out reconnaissance teams to find out if there is a reason to it, if any other forces are at play. Almost every division sent out a few teams. His sister was in one of them.

From what he was told, Shiba Miyako's team encountered an exceptionally powerful hollow able to destroy Zanpakutos if Shingamis touched its tentacles. It had easily wiped out Miyako's team and she was the only one left. To add on, Miyako's Zanpakuto was destroyed by the hollow. Miyako would have died if it wasn't for Kurui arriving in the nick of time to save her.

And yet now his sister is the one in the operating room.

Miyako couldn't be of much help since her Zanpakuto was destroyed, shattered into a million pieces. The hollow, whose name was Metastacia as they soon learnt, wiped out Kurui's team as well when it displayed the ability to fuse with a person's body. By possessing the body of a Shinigami, it was able to sow enough confusion and swiftly take down each of Kurui's men until all that were left are her and Miyako.

Kurui had told Miyako to run and get help, stating that she would only get in the way since her Zanpakuto was already destroyed.

Byakuya knows Kaien and Miyako personally as fellow noblemen. The Shiba clan is a clan that is of equal status and wealth to the Kuchiki. Members of the Shiba clan are also very easy-going in nature, making it easy for anyone to befriend them. He knows Kurui have struck a friendship with Isshin, Kaien, and Miyako, and given how loyal Kurui is to her friends, she would not have hesitated to stick her neck out to save Miyako. He knows that Miyako and Kaien are good people. Rukia herself is in the Thirteenth Division, he had heard a lot from his adopted sister about how Kaien and Miyako are as a person.

He knows that, but it doesn't mean that he accepts this outcome. Kurui is his little sister, the last reminder he has of their parents. His wife aside, she is his only immediate family member left that is related to him by blood. His grandfather and parents had left Kurui in his care and he had failed. No matter how much he wants to think through it rationally, he cannot help but blame the Shibas for his sister's current predicament.

Thankfully, Miyako had managed to reach Kaien in time to call for help. The Vice-Captain of the Thirteenth Division had immediately gone to rescue Kurui and obliterated the hollow with extreme prejudice. However, the damage was done. Kurui had fallen in battle and the hollow had actually _eaten a chunk out of her_.

There is a portion of Kurui missing near her waist. The hollow had eaten a portion of her flesh and would have eaten her alive if it wasn't for Kaien arriving when he did.

A mission gone wrong had claimed the lives of his parents. He will be damned if something similar was the reason his sister left him as well. He may be a Captain, but never before had he felt more useless than what he is feeling right now.

He forcefully kept his temper in check and leaned on the wall, waiting for the operation to be over impatiently. As much as he hates to admit it, there's nothing he can do right now.

The only thing he can do right now is to pray for his sister's safety.

* * *

"Nii-sama?"

Byakuya's eyes shot wide open and immediately went to his sister's side. Any trace of her usual energetic self is nowhere to be found. Her eyes are barely open, her skin a sickly yellow. She is hooked up to all sorts of machines that is the only reason why she is still alive and breathing right now as she lay on the hospital bed.

"Rui." He whispered in half-happiness, half-relief. It had been two days since the operation ended. Captain Unohana had stated that she had done her best, and now it is up to Kurui herself to wake up. Byakuya had put everything aside and kept a constant vigil by Kurui's side throughout these two days. Hisana, Rukia, and Renji visited regularly as well whenever they could, but they have their duties. With him absent, it is now up to Hisana to run the clan and ensure that the clan elders are not up to no good. He is thankful to her for that. Rukia and Renji are now Shinigamis, they need to fulfil their duties first and foremost. Byakuya is given preferential treatment due to a multitude of reasons. That he is a Captain, that he is a noble, that he is Kurui's brother and only family member left, and that the Captain Commander has a soft spot for his little sister and thus turned a blind eye when Byakuya ditched his work for Kurui.

Thank God Kurui woke up.

"Are you feeling ok? Do you need me to call Unohana over?" Byakuya asked a series of worried questions as he used his eyes to scan for any signs of discomfort his sister might be experiencing.

"You… have more grey hairs now…" She wheezed out and Byakuya's eye twitched on reflex. Trust her to try and crack a joke even in this state.

He let out a breath when he sat down and gently held her sister's left hand with both of his. She is alive.

She is alive.

"Don't scare me like this again, Rui." He said tiredly. "I don't think I can take it a second time."

"I was winning." She croaked out and gestured to him for a glass of water, which he quickly poured and handed to her shaking hands. He assisted her in sitting up and to lift the glass up to her lips for her to drink.

"You nearly died."

"I was winning. Someone else was there." She said softly and leaned on the bedrest. "I was about to deliver the finishing blow when someone attacked me from my back. That blow was supposed to kill me. I know it has to be a Shinigami, I recognise the sound of a slash a Zanpakuto makes when I hear one."

That got Byakuya's attention immediately.

"Are you sure?"

"Ask Captain Unohana. She was the one who treated me, she would know if there is a slash mark on my back." She said softly, not having energy to go about talking in her usual manner. She reached out to her own Zanpakuto by her side, which is broken into two neat fragments, as though being cut by something sharp.

"See this? The hollow I was fighting had the ability to shatter Zanpakuto. The Zanpakuto will break into many pieces like what happened to Miyako. Mine was cut cleanly into two. It's different. Someone sneaked in an attack on me while my attention was on the hollow. That someone wanted me to die by the hollow's hands and erase the evidence of a sabotage by letting the hollow eat me. There is someone in the Seireitei who doesn't want me alive. They want me dead and make it look like an accident."

Byakuya's hold on Kurui's hand got a little tighter. His eyes narrowed as he felt his fury boiling underneath.

"Remember the Academy field trip gone wrong? When the dummy hollow somehow got replaced by real hollows? The time when you had to come and save me and my friends?" Kurui continued as she leaned into Byakuya's side for support. "I have a feeling that was on purpose too. For all we know it may be the same group of people."

"I will get to the bottom of it." Byakuya promised. There is someone out there who wants to kill his sister for reasons unknown. This is something that he will not tolerate.

Whoever that person is, he or she will be facing the wrath of the entire Kuchiki clan for trying to hurt their princess.

"Did you remember doing anything that might warrant such an assassination attempt?" He asked his sister, hoping that she may be able to provide any clues on just who her assailant might be.

"Maybe I had unknowingly snooped into places I shouldn't be. You know how I love to visit other divisions unannounced by sneaking in." She said unrepentantly. "I wouldn't be surprised that someone would want to silence me if that were the case."

"Don't worry too much about it. This won't happen a second time."

"I know, because the next time, I wouldn't be as careless." Kurui stated nonchalantly as if saying an undisputable fact. Like that the sky is blue and the grass is green, but there is no mistaking the hint of anger in her eyes as her grip on her broken Zanpakuto tightened.

"The next time, I will be ready for them."

* * *

"_Rui-chan_~ Guess who's here~ Oh, Isshin. You are here too?"

"Of course!" The Captain of the Tenth Division flashed him a bright smile as the light glinted off his shiny white teeth. The Captain gave Gin a thumbs up that might have dazzled any lesser being. "I am here to provide the most youthful Kurui some company!"

Gin would have rolled his eyes if it wasn't for the fact that no one could see his reaction since his eyes are mere slits. He turned back to Kurui, who is sitting up on her bed with countless bandages around her wounded self. She looks to be doing ok, much to his hidden relief.

Life in Seireitei would be so much more boring without her around.

Kurui's potential had sparked an interest in Aizen a long time ago when she was still an Academy student. It prompted him to give her a small test by replacing all the dummy hollows on her field trip with real ones, and Aizen was pleased that one of his subjects of interest passed his test spectacularly.

However, when Kurui had proved on more than one occasion that she has the ability and the tendency to snoop into places where she is unwanted, it got Aizen concerned. When the Captain Commander had ordered her to do some troubleshooting on the security problems in each division, she was too good in what she did when she stole a personal item each from the various Captains. When she had stolen the spare glasses where he kept together with some of his research notes on the fusion of hollows and Shinigamis in the extremely secure vault he layered with spells after spells, Aizen was alarmed.

Aizen was sure that Kurui didn't open up the notes to read it, because he had checked over and over again and there were no signs that it was being tampered with. Still, Aizen is a careful and suspicious man. It is still too early for his plans to come to light and too dangerous for it to happen now, so to be on the safe side, he decided to kill Kurui while making her death seem like an accident. It was where Metastacia was called in by Aizen to finish the job.

Apparently, even the most confident man can fail.

No one expected Kurui to return alive. No one knew how she managed to survive after taking a blow from Aizen that was meant to take her life. Not him, not Tousen, and certainly not Aizen. Still, she did just that, and now the entire Kuchiki and Shiba clan is on the hunt for whoever tried to assassinate the Kuchiki princess.

It had forced Aizen to keep his head low for the moment, setting his plans back by quite a bit.

Gin is on good terms with Kurui, who seemed to accept his eccentricity. They even pulled pranks together, sometimes with Yachiru joining in as well. The mischiefs they created are so well-known in the Seireitei that it caused their poor victims to quake in their boots. He might even call her his friend, if he wasn't so sure that Rangiku is the only person that he cares about in this world.

A small part of him is secretly glad that Aizen had failed.

"How ya feelin'?" The snake in human skin asked as he plopped down in a nearby chair. It does not take a genius to know that Isshin is here to act as Kurui's bodyguard in case the assassin strikes again. Isshin is probably here out of some sense of guilt that his fellow clansmen, Shiba Miyako and Shiba Kaien, were indirectly responsible for Kurui's current state. Isshin's heart had always been a little too big.

"Could have been better." She replied. Her energy level is a little lacking, but that is understandable considering that Metastacia had literally took a chunk out of her. It makes him wonder just how good Captain Unohana is in fixing people for Kurui to be still alive right now.

"Ya shoulda been more careful." He chided playfully with some sense of truth in his words. Kurui does need to be more careful now that Aizen has his sights on her. Once Aizen is on your case, he will not rest until he sees his desired outcome.

If Aizen wants Kurui dead, he will not rest until Kurui is dead.

"Is that concern I hear, Ginny?" Kurui did an exaggerated gasp and a look of mock surprise cross her face, with a palm over her opened mouth for extra effect. "You actually _care_ for me?"

"Hey, I thought we are friends!" He played along by mimicking her actions. Talking to Kurui had always been like playing chess, each trying to guess what the other is playing at. He knows that Kurui had never fully trusted him. Their relationship is complicated. On one hand, they are die-hard pals when it comes to their pranks and mischiefs, ready to take a bullet for the other if need be. On the other hand, they had never confided to each other like how friends will. They had never fully trusted each other. He will never poke his nose into her business as long as she did the same for him. That is the unsaid agreement that hangs between them like a dangerously thin veil.

"I think partners in crime would be a better word." She mused. "You know, after the assassination attempt on me, I might need to reconsider who I think of as friends. I mean, _someone_ did try and stab me in the back after all. Someone who I am sure is supposedly my comrade." She then cocked her head to a side as she looked at him with deceptively friendly eyes.

"Do you happen to know anything about that, Gin?"

Gin's facial expression didn't change, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't taken aback.

_She knew._

Or maybe she just has her suspicions and frankly, it's not too far off.

"I am a Third Seat, and while I'm far from being the strongest Shinigami around, getting past my senses is no easy feat. Whoever that was, he or she was able to fool my senses and I did not detect his presence until it was too late. If that person is a Shinigami, then he must definitely be a Vice-Captain or even a Captain level Shinigami." She continues with her guesswork as he and Isshin look on. "Like you or Captain Isshin, for example."

"I would **_never_** do anything like that!" Isshin squawked at the insinuation.

"Geez, I was just kidding, Captain Isshin. But you do have to admit that if there is a Captain-level assassin running around, it is a cause to be worried about."

"I guess all you can do now is to beware of your surroundings. Never fully trust what you see. Can't be too careful, ya know." Gin quipped. That is the only warning he can give to her about Aizen's abilities without giving his own status as a double agent away. His ultimate goal is to see Aizen's downfall, maybe he can make use of this situation and turn it to his favour.

From the way Isshin is looking at them, Gin knows that the head of the Shiba clan had caught on that there is a hidden context in the words that the two pranksters exchanged.

Double shit for Aizen for having another Captain on his case.

But for once, Gin somehow cannot find it within himself to care. In fact, he is kind of happy that things turned out this way.

"Oh, don't worry too much, Ginny." She waved a flippant hand in his direction in a manner which is supposed to reassure him and Isshin. "Unless you are telling me that someone has the ability to control all five senses, otherwise I will be fine."

By this point, Gin have no idea if Kurui truly knows about their secret or she is just being ridiculously lucky in her guesswork. Why would she mention _all five senses_ out of the many phrases she could have used? An allusion to Aizen's abilities?

Nevertheless, he kept on his mask.

Even as their conversation took a normal turn and the three of them snacked on the dried persimmons that he brought along, he still hadn't got Kurui figured out. Did she know? Or was it just her guess? Did she really read through the notes on hollow experimentation in Aizen's vault hidden away in his office? If so, how did she do it without leaving any traces behind?

He let a smile creep up his face naturally when Kurui and Isshin cracked a joke.

Life in Seireitei is definitely more interesting with Kuchiki Kurui around.


	11. Chapter 11- Shuuuheeeeeeei

_Slash, block, push, spin, jab_

"Use your Shikai already!"

"I don't think that's-"

**_DODGE!_**

"At this rate I'm gonna cut your head off!"

"My Shikai-"

**_DUUUUCCCCKK!_**

"Shuuuuuu! You know I'm not that good at holding back in Zanjutsu! Use your Shikai already!"

Shuhei gritted his teeth and groaned in his mind. _Why_? Of all the people she could choose _why_ did his best friend choose to spar with **_him_**? The results can be disastrous! Especially when she's still recovering! She's at her most fragile now!

_JUMPJUMPJUMP**JUMPJUMPJUMPJUMP OR YOU GONNA DIE!**_

Heeding his instincts and jumping as high as he could, Shuhei managed to keep his feet attached to his legs when Kurui slashed her blade at where his feet was a second ago.

_Kurui is scary!_

"Stop. HESITATING!"

"REAP, KAZESHINI!"

In that one split second of fear, where Kurui's killing intent overwhelmed all sense and reason that clouded his mind, he finally called upon that one power that he is so afraid of. Even before his mind could register what he is doing, he sent his released Zanpakuto flying at Kurui, its death-like scythes spinning in a whirlwind of death.

Kurui merely narrowed her eyes as she expertly flickered away in a shunpo, reappearing in the air and stabbing her blade downwards at the gaps in the links of the chains of his weapon, pinning them down onto the ground and rendering Kazeshini useless.

"Now THAT's how you do a Shi- urgh!"

"Rui!"

Shuhei immediately threw down his Zanpakuto the moment Kurui nearly collapsed, only barely managing to stand as she leaned onto her Zanpakuto, which was stabbed into the ground when she stopped Kazeshini. She coughed uncontrollably as her other free hand held onto her side in pain, the side where the hollow had chewed a piece out of her and which Captain Unohana had stitched back as if nothing was wrong in the first place. Shuhei's first instinct is to help her up, but found his hands hovering in mid-air and not knowing where to place them.

"I'm fine." She wheezed out after a while before standing up straight. "At least now I know what my current limits are. Stupid hollow. I know I'm awesome, but I don't even taste nice!"

"You are still recovering. You aren't supposed to be training yet!"

"But it's booooring!" Kurui whined as she flopped and let herself fall onto the ground, back facing the ground as she kicked up a childish tantrum. "Nii-sama doesn't let me do anything! ANYTHING!" Kurui shouted into the sky as her hands and feet waved about agitatedly from where she is lying on the ground. "_Don't use the kettle, Rui, it's too heavy, let the servants brew your tea for you. Don't cook anything, Rui, let the chefs do it, the knife's too sharp, go and rest. We will call you when it's time to eat."_ Kurui did her best imitation of Kuchiki Byakuya using his Kuchiki ByakuyaTM blank face and voice. "Like **_what the hell_**?! **_Knife's too sharp_**? I use a **ZANPAKUTO** for fuck sake-"

"_Language_."

"-Hisana-nee never stops _hinting_ at me for the ENTIRE day to go and rest until I'm in my bed, tucked under my blankets like a three year old, lights off, and sleep until it is meal time! Rukia and Renji just keep giving me the creepy silent go-to-bed stare and just. Keep. STALKING me until I go back into my room! It's driving me CRAZY!"

"You are supposed to be _resting_. Given your track record, they have a right to take extreme measures to make sure you are resting properly."

"What extreme measures? I'm not a walking calamity! It's not like I can sleep the entire day either! I'm not a sloth!"

"You sleep all day in class all the time in the academy."

"T-That's different!"

"Oh?" Shuhei can already feel the sense of déjà vu, this particular scene had happened too frequently during their time in the academy for him to keep count. What excuse will she come up with this time? "How so?"

"T-There were spiders in my bedroom in the academy and I couldn't fall asleep! So I had no choice but to sleep in class to catch up on my beauty sleep!"

"The _only_ spider we ever saw in the academy was the one **_you_** found shortly after we received our Zanpakuto."

"Shuheeeei~~" Kurui whined as she tugged at his sleeves and swing it from side to side, trying to delay the inevitable of her going back home. Shuhei sighed. As for the reason behind that sigh, even he doesn't know what that is anymore. Sighing had been his default reaction to anything Kurui-related from the very first day he met her, that fateful turn around the corner on their first day in the academy.

His best friend had always been his biggest source of headache.

"Please don't send me back home~ _Pleeeeease_~~~~~~"

"You **_need_** the rest."

"Nii-sama will just chain me to my bed if he found out I sneaked out today!"

"All the more reason for you to go back now before he finds out."

"Shuhei! You meanie! Do you really want to see me gone?!"

Ah, so she changed her tactics. From whiny Kurui to angry Kurui. She should be an actor. The change in demeanor only took her a split second.

"I'm not your brother. That pout won't work on me."

Kurui's expression melted immediately from mock anger to absolutely pitiful.

"_Shuuuheeeeeeei_~~"

Annnnd the whiny Kurui strikes back again. At the rate she is tugging at the sleeves of his uniform and swinging it from side to side, the sleeves will come off sooner or later. Maybe he should change his uniform to a sleeveless version? Sounds like an idea.

"If that assassin strikes again, right now, you are defenceless. At least back at your compound, you have the entire Kuchiki clan guards protecting you."

"But you are here!"

"I'm just a _Fifth Seat_, and I cannot even control Kazeshini properly yet."

"Then MAN UP and stop being so scared of your blade!"

"Rui, Kazeshini, he's…"

"Dangerous? Bloodthirsty? Crazy? Psychotic?"

"Actually-"

"Insane? Mad? Deranged? Demented?"

"All of the above." Shuhei said in a firm tone to stop Kurui's needless chattering right there before it goes needlessly long. She is surprisingly good in her vocabulary, maybe she should make her own dictionary or a thesaurus one day. "Long story short, Kazeshini is not an easy blade to handle. It reaps life too easily and it is too eager to do so. I… don't like that."

"Your Zanpakuto is a part of you. Don't run from it. All you have to do is to accept it."

"It's not that easy-"

"Trust me, it is." Kurui said with finality as she picked up her Zanpakuto, twirled it above her head with a hand before sheathing it once more across her back in one smooth practiced motion. "I fear my blade too, especially what it can really do if I really want to use it properly. Something like my Zanpakuto honestly shouldn't exist. It's a freaking cheat code. But it is a part of me, and I got to accept it. Our Zanpakuto are a reflection of our heart. You just got to look deeper within your soul and accept the true you."

Shuhei frowned. While Kurui had told him about her Zanpakuto's abilities before, she had never showed it to anyone other than her brother and her Captain. Even then, he has a feeling that she simply glossed over her Zanpakuto's abilities.

Maybe she really doesn't like her Zanpakuto's abilities too.

"Look deeper within my soul…" Shuhei muttered. "More Jinzen, perhaps?"

"Or you can experience a near-death situation." Kurui answered dryly. "There's no situation that is more suitable for doing some soulsearching than a near-death situation."

"Not funny, Rui. You nearly died."

"B-But all the protagonists in the stories always found their true selves during the soul searching they did in near-death situations! It's anime logic! And your Zanpakuto's theme is death! Then maybe experiencing a near-death situation can help you achieve Bankai!"

"Anime…?"

"It should work! Trust me! Anime logic said so!"

"I'm not even going to ask what this anime thing is." Shuhei groaned as he walked to pick up his blade and reverts the form of his Zanpakuto back to its usual self. He can hear the evil cackling of his Zanpakuto spirit at the recesses of his mind as he did so.

And _why_ is Kazeshini agreeing with Kurui? Going through a near-death situation? For the fun of it? That's it. He's never allowing the two of them to meet face-to-face, even if that scenario can never happen.

Shuhei turned back to Kurui, who is now firmly sitting on the floor, cross legged and arms also crossed in front of her chest, with her cheeks bulging like a chipmunk as she stared at him in defiance, her long black hair floating lazily behind her thanks to the breeze in the clearing they are at right outside the Seireitei.

"Rui." Shuhei said in a tone that he only reserved for '_Kurui-is-in-her-being-difficult-mode-but-I-cannot-do-anything-too-drastic-or-she-will-make-my-life-difficult-instead'_ situations. Why, _oh why_, is he best friends with such a problematic, troublesome, stubborn, yet wonderful person, Shuhei will never ever know. "We need to get you back home. It's too dangerous out here."

"Don't wanna." As if defying all sense of logic, her cheeks puffed up even further as she stared defiantly back at him, determined to not move a single step. "Make me."

"I will carry you back if I have to. If anything happens to you out here, it will be 'Raining Sakura' for me. I don't want to be the next Omaeda."

Kurui's eyes literally lit up at the name of the Vice-Captain of the Second Division. Is her Zanpakuto a light-based Zanpakuto? Might explain her ability to tweak the surrounding lights in such an unnatural fashion. He had heard from the rumour mill that Kurui and Captain Shiba had once summoned an entire beach, complete with lapping waves, sand, squawking seagulls, sunset and all. Captain Shiba's Engetsu is a fire-based Zanpakuto, so the beach is definitely Kurui's doing.

"Oh, oh! I totally forgot about him! _How could I?!_ We should totally-"

"This is where I step in to remind you that you had traumatised that poor man so badly that 'Kuruiphobia' is now a legitimate medical term in the Fourth Division."

"Hey! An achievement! Now generations of Shinigami will know how _awesome_ I am-"

"You mean how terrifying and petty you are."

"-and then they will sing my name for generations to come-"

"I'd be surprised if you didn't somehow become the boogeyman of the Rukongai within the next century."

"-and everyone will praise, Hail Hydr- I mean, **_Hail Kurui_**!"

"I'm not going to even ask."

"We go visit Omaeda? _Sweet lovely_ Omaeda?" Kurui asked with an innocent looking face, eyelids fluttering twice to try and sell that impression.

Shuhei never bought it, not even a second.

"Captain Sui-Feng will Bankai you to oblivion if you so much as breathe in her division. I heard from somewhere that her Bankai creates a massive explosion the equivalent of the Shiba clan's best bombs at its worst."

"But that makes it all the more fun! The thrill! The horror! The adventure! The **EXPLOSIONS**! Art is… a **BANG**!"

Honestly, he had long since given up by now what she meant with all those weird phrases. It's just something about her that you just have to accept.

"Rui, no."

"Rui, YES!"

"No, go and rest. Or I'm telling Captain Unohana all about your escapades."

Kurui's crestfallen expression is the only sign Shuhei needs to know that he had won the argument. Nobody ever goes against the scary motherly figure, Captain of the Fourth Division, Unohana Retsu. If she tells you to jump, you ask how high. If she tells you to die, you ask how it should be done. If she commands you to rest, you never question her until she gives you the green light to get out of bed. Given how fond Captain Unohana is of Kurui, she will see to it, somehow, that Kurui lies on her bed to rest and never get back up until she's fully healthy again.

Even Captain Zaraki gives Captain Unohana a very wide berth, and along with it respect the size of the entire Gotei 13 and beyond, and that is saying something.

"_Mou_~ You are no fun, Shu! Live a little!"

"I believe your equivalent of 'fun' is my equivalent of 'insane'."

"Tsktsk, Shu-chan. What happened to your sense of adventure?"

Oh no, this is definitely the start of a roundabout merry-go-round never ending series of questions that Shuhei had fallen prey to many times before. He is not going to let Kurui the chance to divert his attention away from the matter at hand any longer. He is not falling for this trap.

"I'm going to carry you back if you're not going to move."

"Shu! Don't change the topic!"

"YOU are the one changing the topic. Don't think I didn't realise it."

Kurui gave a sagely nod, one of her hands did an unmistakable motion of stroking an invisible beard the length of their Captain Commander's. She is _definitely_ imitating their Captain Commander.

"It seems I trained you well, my student. I'm proud to be your sensei. Will you brew a cup of tea for this old man?"

"Did the Captain Commander seriously say this to- **Wait**. I'm not falling for this. DON'T change the subject. Either you move, or I carry you back."

Kurui's expression melted once more at her failure of escaping her impending doom.

"_Shuuuheeeeeei_~~"

The whiny Kurui strikes back again. He just knew it. This is a never-ending cycle. He is literally back to square one. It makes him wonder if her parents have precognition abilities when they named her, because her name can never be more fitting. The word 'Kurui' literally means confusion, deviation, disorder. She definitely embodies the meaning of her name right down to the very definition. Kurui is just so good at misdirection and sweeping you up in her tempo even before you realised it. Their short conversation here is proof of this. She just keeps leading him by the nose in their conversation in her attempt to delay the inevitable.

Time for a figurative Bankai. This will never end otherwise.

He held out three fingers, and began to count down.

"Three."

"Wait, what?"

"Two."

"Shu! I'm warning you!"

"One."

A second of silence followed until-

No No _nonono_ **NOT** that same _melting_ expression on her face **_again_**-

"_Shuuuheeeeeeei_~~~"

God damn it. Even Kazeshini is laughing at him. He knows he's not imagining that laughter howling at the back of his mind.

Steeling his heart and blocking out all noise, Shuhei picked Kurui up with a single hand by the back of her uniform, ignoring her whining and her shouts, threw her on his back, and start their long trek back to the Seireitei. He knows she hates being cooped up in a room, but she also needs to rest, so the least he can do is to drag out the journey back to the Kuchiki compound to delay the inevitable for her for as long as he can.

"See, you are tired." Shuhei chided when he saw her yawn, using a tone that he used whenever he knew she had pushed herself too hard. She had always been pushing herself too hard even back at the academy.

"I just really, really, hate being all by myself in a room, you know? Especially when the walls are white." Kurui's whisper could barely be heard as she buried her face into his shoulder, her long black hair pooling over it. "Bad memories."

"Rui?"

"Nii-sama and Sofu were never home. The servants won't play with me, because I'm the princess of the Kuchiki clan and I'm a _noble_. It's just me and four blank walls all the time. I hate it. All I want is to spend some time with those I love."

"Your recuperation period won't last forever. It's only temporary."

"I really don't like being trapped in a room, Shu. I hate seeing walls. _Especially_ white walls. It makes me feel like I'm trapped and suffocated. Why else do you think I keep sneaking out of my Division's barracks?"

"Will it be better if I made daily visits? I will get Aoga and Kanisawa to come along as well. They can always give Captain Unohana the excuse of 'for the patient's mental well-being' to ditch their work to visit you, I know they will be more than agreeable to it."

"Captain Unohana will **_slaughter_** them if they did that. Have you ever seen her patented _you-are-so-very-dead_ smile? Hollows got purified just by seeing it, I swear upon it as a Kuchiki that it is the truth and nothing but the truth."

"But the patient in question is **_you_**, and you know Captain Unohana has a soft spot for you."

"…Daily visits?"

"I promise."

"You better. Or I will raise hell in the Ninth Division when I'm fully recovered. Like putting one thousand of those annoying high-pitched bells in your division that rings non-stop for an entire month. The ones that goes_ dingdingdingdingding_ forever and ever until you can hear them in your dreams. Pretty sure Captain Tousen will put you on the chopping board and skin you alive if he found out you are the cause for it."

"I doubt he can even walk straight if there are a thousand bells ringing non-stop in my Division. He uses his sense of hearing as his primary means to get around."

"Exactly, so just ditch your work and come visit me. I hate being cooped up in my room."

"I cannot just **_ditch_**-"

"Then steal Goro for me. Goro is nice company."

"You want me to _steal_ your **_Captain's_** pet dog? Do you want me to die so badly?"

"Either you come visit me, or you steal Goro for me. Either die by Captain Komamura's totally amazing Bankai, or by a thousand ringing bells annoying you forever. Your choice."

"You know, sometimes I really wonder why I'm friends with you."

"Love you too, Shu."

"DON'T. Say that. THAT word. People will misunderstand. I don't want the weather forecast to be-"

"Raining Sakura?"

"Yes."

"Wow. You just told me a new way to murder people with just a few words. The pen is indeed mightier than a sword, nuff said. Thanks, Shu, for the inspiration."

"…What have I done?"

"You know, if by saying 'love you too' I can get Nii-sama to murder someone painfully and squeal like a pig, I wonder what would happen if I…"

"Rui?" Shuhei asked in a combination of apprehension and dread when Kurui went absolutely silent, just right when they finally reached the main gates of the Kuchiki compound.

"Hey, what's that?"

Shuhei went to look at what Kurui had pointed with her finger, but spotted nothing. The next thing he knew, something moist came into contact with his cheek and the weight is lifted off his back. By the time he turned around, Kurui had already jumped over the tall walls of the Kuchiki compound in a shunpo, her bell like laughter happily ringing in the air as she waved him an energetic goodbye before disappearing from view. The two eternal gate guards of the Kuchiki clan had a mortified expression on both their faces. Gate guard A is now not-so-subtly elbowing gate guard B, and not-so-subtly telling gate guard B 'QUICK! GET LORD BYAKUYA!', while gate guard B is now not-so-subtly scrambling to run into the Kuchiki compound, and not-so-subtly screaming "**IT'S AN EMERGENCY! GET LORD BYAKUYA! RAINING SAKURA! RAINING SAKURA! TAKE SHELTER!**" in a so-not-Kuchiki fashion.

Shuhei slowly raised a hand to touch where Kurui had… his cheek earlier.

It's just an imagination, right?

**"BANKAI: SENBONZAKURA KAGEYOSHI!"**

The fact that he is now running for dear life at the sight of those scary pink petals exploding from within the Kuchiki compound and rising into the sky tells him that it is definitely **NOT** an imagination. There is enough of those petals to cover the entire sky.

"Attention all souls, today's weather forecast is-"

The announcement made by the broadcast system is a huge clue too. The Kuchiki clan and the Weather Forecast Department sure works fast. Somehow, Shuhei suspects that they had **_a lot_** of practice working in collaboration with each other.

Damn it, Kurui, is this your idea of a prank? Because if it's not-

Shuhei's mind stopped working temporarily.

It's… a _prank_, **_right_**?

Damn it, Kurui. Why must you be so confusing to understand?!

**"WHERE'S HISAGI?!"**

Never mind that for now, staying alive takes priority.


	12. Chapter 12- Mm!

**_"PROMOTION?!"_**

"Yes." Komamura patiently waited for his Third Seat to stop freaking out as she ran in circles around him, hands flailing about in the air while she kept screaming about how bad an idea it would be to promote her of all people.

Considering that Kurui is an expert on Shunpo, her usual running speed is enough to kick up a mini tornado in the room that they are at. She is now a black blur from how fast she is running.

"Calm down." He reached out a hand and grabbed her, a feat that not many can boast about, before picking her up in the air like a struggling lost puppy. Said lost puppy is still kicking her legs and swinging her arms while yelling out loud.

"-put me as VICE-CAPTAIN?! I will **_doom _**the entire Seireitei! Then what will happen next?! _Put me as **Captain**?! _OH! MY! GAWD! What if I decide to cast an illusion from the moon because I'm feeling bored or use my stone collection to try and end world hunger with a snap of my fingers-"

"Kurui."

"-or I decide to become a pirate, laughing _hohoho and a bottle of rum! _and set sail for a place far far away from here to find the ultimate treasure with my only companion who is a boy made of rubber and wearing a straw hat while laughing _shishishi _the entire time-"

_"Kurui."_

"-and instead we found out that Davy Jones Locker is a _real _thing and in it are seven objects that an evil wizard had split his soul into in his mad quest for attaining immortality and to conquer the wizarding world-"

**_"Kurui."_**

"- but BAM! IT'S NOT VOLDEMORT! The seven objects were actually created by a wizard by the name of Zeref- **_mmph!_**"

"If even the barbarian known as Zaraki managed to be a Captain, then you can be a Vice-Captain." Komamura decided that enough was enough as with practiced ease, he randomly took a nearby orange and stuffed it in Kurui's mouth, preventing her from going on and on. "Question is, all Thirteen Divisions currently have their Vice-Captains positions filled, but Captain Commander is open to the idea of having two Vice-Captains in a division, meaning that someone would have to share the seat with you. Central 46 had also reluctantly agreed to this arrangement."

"Mm! Mmmm!"

Right, she cannot speak with the orange in her mouth.

"You can just take the orange out of your mouth already, you know?" He reminded the girl as she continues to flail her limbs about childishly from where she is still dangling in midair in his grasp. All she needs to do to speak properly is to use her hand and take the orange out, or simply stop biting on the orange.

Of course, she chose to continue biting on it. Should have known that something like this would have happened.

"Mmm! Mm!"

Never mind. If she wants to continue biting on the orange for whatever strange reasons, then so be it. He is immune to her eccentricities at this point. One doesn't become a Captain without having the ability to be adaptable to any and all situations thrown his way.

"If you want to join Tetsuzaemon here as the Seventh Division's Vice-Captain, you are more than welcomed, although I highly encourage you to try out the other divisions to get a wider exposure." Komamura carried on in his explanation as he turned around to get the form for Kurui to fill in if she wants to accept the promotion. "I don't think I need to remind you, but Soi Fon and Kurotsuchi would probably murder you the moment you join their division. So choose any division but theirs."

"Mm!"

"Here's the-"

Komamura turned back around and-

**_Wait_**

Since **_when _**did Kurui change her uniform's colour to a light_ pink_?_ And where's the orange? _Why is it that there's now a piece of **_bamboo _**in the orange's place? There's even a large black haori she's wearing over her now pink uniform. _Where _did she even get the large haori from?

**_What just happened_** in that short moment that he turned around?

"One day, Kurui. _One day, _I will find out _how _you keep managing to do the impossible."

"Mm!"

He shoved the piece of paper in her hands.

"Don't take too long to decide on whether you want to take up the promotion, and if you do, which Division you want to join. Got it?"

Kurui gave him a salute.

"Mm!"

* * *

"Why."

_Miss._

"Are."

_He missed again._

"You."

"MMM!"

"Holding a piece of bamboo in your mouth?"

Kuchiki Byakuya watched his sister grew up, but that doesn't offer him immunity against Kurui's endless array of weird and crazy antics. This time, she had decided that _holding onto a piece of bamboo in her mouth_ for the entire day sounds like a fun thing to do.

He had heard of Komamura recommending Kurui to get a promotion to Vice-Captain, because despite how weird she can be at times, there's no hiding her intelligence and strength. That fact alone made him swell with pride for his little sister. However, given that all Vice-Captain slots are currently filled, she will have to share that position with someone else who is already a Vice-Captain. The Captain Commander and a few other Captains had agreed that his little sister is more than ready to be a Vice-Captain, and she was even given the freedom to choose which division she wants to join.

Right now, she is bothering him in his office in the Sixth Division, waving that piece of paper in her hand right in his face. He can understand her wanting to wear something _pink_, but that piece of _bamboo _has to go. _That _is **_ridiculous_**.

So naturally, his first reaction when he saw that offending piece of wood held in her mouth is to take it away.

He hasn't been successful thus far. Even if he's not being entirely serious in catching her, it goes to show just how much Kurui had improved in her Shunpo if she can now constantly evade him.

"Mm! Mm Mm Mm~~"

"Take that piece of wood away from your mouth and I might be able to understand you."

"Mmm!"

His gaze trailed to her uniform, which is now pink in colour instead of the standard black.

"And remember to turn your uniform back into its original colour. I don't know how you turned it _pink_, but I **_know_** you can turn it back to _black_. As nobles, we need to uphold the rules-"

"Mm Mm Mmmmmmmm!"

The Captain of the Sixth Division let out a long and resigned sigh as his palm met his face. Give him an entire army of hollows to fight and he can clear it within seconds. Give him his little sister and it will take an entire week just for him to convince her to take out something as stupid as _a piece of bamboo _that she is currently holding using her mouth.

What possessed her to do it anyway? Demons?

"Kurui."

"Mm?"

"Can you just take out-"

"Mmmm!"

"I will rip it with Senbonzakura."

**"Mm!"**

"Capta- Kurui?"

"Mm? Mmm Mmm!"

Kurui jumped excitedly on the spot and waved wildly at Renji when he made his sudden appearance in Byakuya's office.

"Why are you biting onto a piece of bamboo?"

"That's what I've been asking her for the past ten minutes."

"Mm!"

Kurui shoved the piece of paper in her hand into Renji's, who quickly read through it.

"Wait, _promotion? _That's great! Why not come to the Sixth?"

"Mm Mm Mm!" Kurui shook her head violently as she pointed a finger at Byakuya, who only raised an eyebrow at the gesture as he continues to sign the large pile of paperwork on his desk.

"Oh, right. Captain would probably chain you down in his office to get you to do actual work."

"Mm!" Kurui nodded exaggeratedly at Renji's words. Byakuya's eyes narrowed a little in confusion. Renji can actually _understand _all of Kurui's 'Mm'?

"Then which division are you planning to join? Or maybe just remain at the Seventh?"

Kurui shuddered as she somehow produced the same pair of shades that Iba Tetsuzaemon usually wears out of thin air and did a fine imitation of him before doing a big 'X' with her arms while shaking her head.

"Right, so you don't want to work with Tetsuzaemon, because he's no fun."

"Mm!"

"Then which division?"

Kurui put a finger to her chin in thought as she paced about the room, walking to and fro from one end of the room to another. After about half a minute, she slammed a closed fist into her open palm in realisation, letting out yet another 'Mm!' as a _lightbulb _flickered into existence above her head for a short split second before disappearing.

Byakuya blinked and rubbed his eyes with his hand before squinting it to observe his sister once more. **_Where _**did the lightbulb come from? That's _not possible_.

Or maybe he pulled too many all nighters and now he is having hallucinations? That must be it. Hisana had not been very happy about how he is overworking himself recently. He will need to curb his workaholic tendencies a little if he doesn't want to worry her.

"Oi, Kurui. Where did the lightbulb come from?"

"Mm?" Kurui tilted her head to a side like an innocent puppy at Renji's question, her eyes staring innocently wide.

"Don't _Mm _me. I was _sure _that I saw it."

Byakuya blinked. Ah, so he _wasn't _hallucinating then.

Kurui blinked her eyes a few more times in confusion before doing that same fist hitting palm action again. The lightbulb flickered into existence once more as Kurui pointed a finger at it, as if saying _'Oh? This one?_'

Renji made a quick grab for the lightbulb, only for the lightbulb to disappear even before he got near it. Renji narrowed his eyes as he slowly turned his head towards Kurui.

"One day, I **_will _**find out how you keep doing all your weird shit."

"I'd rather you don't." Byakuya commented as he continues to sign off the papers, ignoring the fact that Kurui had somehow defied all common sense and the laws which made up their reality. "For the sake of our sanity, just let her be. I don't want to know, find out, or even understand how she could do half the things she did on a regular basis. Stay your hand. That is an order."

"Mm Mm Mm~"

"You had decided on a division already, haven't you?" Byakuya cut all the nonsensical things short as he brought their attention back to the topic at hand once more. "Which one?"

Should he be worried that even **_he_** himself isn't sure if he would want to have his sister in his division? On one hand, he can better protect her this way. On the other hand, who knows _what _mayhem Kurui might stir up. Knowing her, she **_will _**stir something up.

Kurui held up ten fingers.

"Tenth Division?"

* * *

**"Why."**

Hitsugaya Toshiro gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, trying very hard to rein in his temper, irritation, and frustration the moment he spotted that annoying Kuchiki striding through the main entrance of the Tenth Division barracks, lugging an entire cart of her belongings behind her and humming an obnoxiously loud tune while doing so.

"**Why** must she choose to come _here?_ _What did I do to deserve this?"_

"Hitsugaya-kun, the temperature's getting a little chilly here." Matsumoto said in a silky voice as she continues to chug alcohol down her throat.

The wielder of ice forcibly clamped down on the release of his power, just in time as a blur dashed past him and knocked him into the ground.

"Kurui-chan!"

"Mm Mm!"

"Kurui-chan!"

"Mm Mm!"

Here it goes again. And _why _is that annoying midget biting onto a piece of _bamboo_? Can't she just let go of it and speak properly like another _normal _person?

Time seemed to slow a little as the two most annoying people in the Seireitei met each other in a huge hug. Common sense had been defied once more as right before their very eyes, their surroundings transformed into an endless beach of white sand with lapping waves and the setting sun as the background. There are even seagulls flying overhead while squawking, as if laughing at his plight and this madness that is currently eroding the last remnants of his sanity.

Stupid Kurui and her stupid sunset of youth. **_How _**did she even summon an entire beach here?!

"Mm Mm Mm!" Kurui waved at him excitedly while jumping up and down.

"It's **_Hitsugaya _**to you, Kuchiki." He stressed, already hearing the 'SHIRO-KUN!' in her three Mms earlier.

"Mm Mm Mmmmmmm~"

"It's **_Hitsugaya_**. Hit-su-ga-ya."

"Mm Mm Mm."

His hand slowly reached for the blade strapped onto his back. If reasoning with this annoying midget doesn't work, then maybe violence will. If this is all it takes to get his sanity back, then so be it. He will deal with the repercussions from Kuchiki Byakuya later. He's sure that he can figure something out.

"Now, now, Shiro-kun. That isn't really nice." Captain Shiba Isshin put on an exaggerated look of disappointment as the Captain grabbed onto his wrist with a hand while shaking his head slowly from side to side.

"It's either _Hitsugaya _or _Toshiro_. Unhand me, Captain. That annoying fly needs to die."

"Mm Mm Mm~" Kurui whined as she flapped her arms about like a bird, as if she's hurt by her words.

He calls _bullshit_. That annoying midget is doing this just to annoy him, because she derives joy and satisfaction from watching him suffer.

Besides, it doesn't matter even if his Captain is preventing him drawing his blade since he technically does not need to draw it out to invoke his Shikai.

"Sit upon-"

**"Mm Mm Mm~!"**

* * *

_He knew it. _His workload only increased the moment the midget became the Vice-Captain of the Tenth Division, a position she now jointly shared with Matsumoto.

"Cheers!"

"Mm!"

"Bring out more!"

Hitsugaya Toshiro's eye began to twitch uncontrollably when he saw his Captain and two Vice-Captains partying with countless bottles of empty sakes strewn about in the office the moment he entered it. WHY is it that **_he's _**the only sane one out of the four of them?

"_Captain_._ Vice-Captains._" He said in an eerily calm voice as he placed the pile of papers he had been carrying here at an untouched corner of the office. "It's not even _noon _yet. **_WHY_** are you drinking?"

"Oh, Toshiro!" An obviously drunk Captain Shiba slung an arm around him while bringing a sake bottle near his face. Toshiro scrunched up his nose at the smell. "Come on, drink up! This is good stuff!"

"Mm Mm Mm~"

"It's _Hitsugaya _to you, Kuchiki."

"Mm Mm Mm~~~~"

"We don't even need to work because Toshiro had already taken care of all the paperwork~ He is such a good boy~" A drunken Matsumoto slurred as she patted him on the head, which increased the frequency of the twitching of his eye. He is **_not _**a pet dog.

"And good boys need to be rewarded!"

Without warning, another sake bottle was shoved into his face as Matsumoto tried to forcibly drug him with the whole bottle of the alcoholic beverage.

"W-What the? Let me go! Unhand me!"

"Resistance is futile!"

"Mm!"

"Just take you reward, Shiro-kun~"

"**_What in tarnation?!_** _I'm **not** taking part in the crazy things the three-_"

"Open his mouth!"

"Aye aye, Captain!"

"Mm!"

"**No!** I _WON'T _be subdued! I won't- _Mmph! Mm! **Mmmmmmmmppphhh!**"_

"Oh, wow, this is _definitely_ not a sight for children." As if suddenly turning sober, Shiba Isshin used his hands to cover Kurui's eyes to prevent her from witnessing the R Rated scene in front of them. Instead of chugging the sake down Toshiro's throat, Matsumoto, in her severely drunken state, had accidentally tripped and fell onto the white-haired boy and is now suffocating him with her large breasts.

"Mm? Mm Mm?"

"No, no, my dear Kurui. You are still too young to be seeing this."

"MMPH! MM! MMMMMMMPPHHH!"

Why is Toshiro struggling to get out from his current situation?**_ It's heaven's blessing! _**A situation that many men would have died for! Death by suffocation from huge breasts! **_Matsumoto's breasts!_** _That's eternal paradise!_

Goes to show how much of a boy he still is. A true man will just take it all even if it cost him his life, no questions asked. That is what being a man among men truly means, it is when a man comprehended this thought that he reached true enlightenment. The realisation of such an enlightening moment cannot be taught, it can only be experienced.

It may be a little too early, but this experience is precisely what Toshiro needs to grow from boy to man.

"Mm?"

"Nah, nah, Kurui. Not yet." Shiba Isshin's hands are still firmly covering Kurui's eyes as Toshiro futilely tried to squirm his way out from how Matsumoto is now having a death grip over him and smothering him with her breasts, talking incoherent things like needing to give a cute boy like Toshiro some womanly love. She's obviously still drunk from emptying more than ten crates of sake earlier.

It's a wonder that she is still alive and not dying from kidney failure.

"You need to understand, Kurui. I cannot tell you what exactly is going on right now, but this is a necessary rite of passage for all boys to become a man. Toshiro _needs _to undergo this. I'm sure Matsumoto doesn't mind this at all."

"Mm."

"Yeah, we need to keep this a secret from your brother. He will rip me a new one if he knew that I taught you how to drink. This is your first time drinking, right? How are you such a good drinker on your first try?"

"Mm Mm~~"

"Right, of course you would have _already _tried drinking behind your brother's back."

"MMMPPHH! MMMMMMMMPPHHH!"

"Don't be shy, Shiro-kun~ What will Hinamori say if you reject her advances in the future because you are too inexperienced in picking up her subtle clues? Or miss the right opportunity because you were too shy in accepting her womanly love? You need to get this tsundere shyness out of you! Isn't that right, Captain?"

"Of course!" Isshin did his signature good guy pose as Kurui mimicked him despite being unable to see a thing with his hand over her eyes. "I leave it to you to make Toshiro a **_real man_**, Matsumoto! Man among men! This is for his own good!"

"Mm!"

"Consider it done, Captain!"

**"MMMPPHHH! MMMMMPPPPPHHHH!"**


	13. Chapter 13- The Heart

"Caaaaptaaaaain!"

"Kurui." Sajin greeted his previous subordinate with a curt nod from where he was standing outside the Ninth Division and about to enter the building. "What brings you here to the Ninth Division?"

"I'm helping Captain Shiba to deliver some super secret important paperwork to Captain Tosen!" Kurui replied brightly as she held up said paperwork in her arms. "Let me guess, you are here to visit Captain Tosen as well?"

"That I am." Sajin nodded in reply as the two of them strolled into the Ninth Division with Sajin leading the way. "How's life at the Tenth Division?"

"It's so fun!" Kurui visibly lit up at the thought. "Captain Shiba and Rangiku are very fun people! Ne, ne, Captain, you should visit the Tenth Division when you are free! We can bully Shiro-kun together! He's no fun at all! We need to liven him up a little!"

"Please don't traumatise the poor boy any further." Sajin said with a sigh, knowing about the relationship between the two geniuses of Seireitei.

"What traumatise? It's all in good fun! He needs to live a little! He _never _smiles! What did Momo see in that little prick anyway?! He's so dense that he will never know that Momo actually likes him unless we put them stark naked in the same room together and make them confess to each other!"

Sajin gave Kurui an incredulous look even if it cannot be seen due to his helmet.

"Oh, oh! We should do this as a prank!" Kurui said happily at the thought as she bounced on her feet. "I should totally get Ginny to help! And Yachiru too! We can do this together! Then we will have little Shiro-kun and little Momo-chan running around nine months later!"

_"Kurui."_

"Captain~ Come on! This will be fun!"

Both of them had reached Tosen's office by now. Sajin slid it open, knowing that his good friend would have heard him coming a long time ago.

"Sajin, Kurui." Tosen acknowledged with a nod in their direction from where he is sitting behind his desk doing paperwork.

"Kaname." Sajin greeted back as Kurui cheerfully greeted his best friend with "HELLO CAPTAIN TOSEN!" at the top of her lungs.

"The Kurui Special Delivery has arrived!" Kurui exclaimed in that energetic manner of hers as she waved the large stack of paperwork about. "Where should I put this, Captain Tosen?"

"Here." Kaname pointed to an empty spot on his table. "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard at all!" Kurui replied with a smile on her face. "By the way, do you know-"

"Hisagi will be at the training field at this time. You know where it is."

"Yay! I won't be bothering you then, Captain Tosen! Bye! Bye Captain Komamura! I will leave you two alone and go bother Shu instead!"

"Please do not land him in the hospital like before. I want my Fifth Seat alive, not dead by Raining Sakura." Sajin found it amusing when Kaname shot those words at the departing Kurui, who merely replied with "What doesn't kill him makes him stronger!" before leaving the office with a burst of speed. Kaname merely let out an audible sigh and shook his head at the response as the Kuchiki princess disappeared from view.

"She's an energetic one alright."

"The Seventh Division hasn't been quite the same without her around." Sajin agreed as he took a seat opposite his friend as his friend poured them some tea. It's not as nice as the one Kurui will brew for him when the girl was still his subordinate, but then again not even their Captain Commander has the same proficiency as the girl when it comes to making tea.

"You are not here for just a casual visit, are you?"

As always, his friend is so perceptive. Sajin put down his cup as he turned serious.

"There are some things that the Captain Commander wants us to do…"

* * *

"Shuuuuu~ Miss me?"

"No."

"Awww, it was all in good fun! Come on!" Shuhei pointedly ignored his best friend who was running around him in circles while flapping her arms while he practiced his Zanjutsu in the training field. Kurui braked to an abrupt stop as she leaned her face in close to his with a sheepish look on her face.

"I'm sorry?"

Shuhei irritatedly gestured to the multitude of bandages currently wrapped around his person. His entire body still hurts after so long.

"I'm _super _sorry?" She said as she put her palms together in an apologetic gesture, her facial expression equally apologetic. "I mean, I _really _didn't expect Nii-sama to go Bankai all over you… Eheheheh..."

Shuhei sighed. This is Kurui for you. You just can't get mad at her.

But he still felt really, really annoyed at what had happened to him because of her.

"You owe me a good meal. A really good one."

"Okay! I will make sure mackerel will be on the menu too! All the mackerel you want! Promise! Like pinky promise!"

"That's more like it." Shuhei grumbled, not like there's any real bite in it because this is Kurui he is talking about. He can never get mad at her.

"So…" Kurui leaned in obnoxiously close to him as she peered up at his face by his side. "Did your near death experience by Nii-sama's hands allow you to unlock your Bankai…?"

"Wait. THAT's the real reason you did that?_ Near death experience?!_ Rui! There are better ways to go about unlocking one's Bankai!"

"But I told you! Your Zanpakuto's theme is death! Anime logic dictates that you have to go through a near death experience to undergo a power boost that goes _kapow! Boom! Wham! Shing!_" The energetic Kuchiki punctuated each of her sound effects with punches into the air. "Really! Trust me! This is for your own good!"

Shuhei facepalmed. Seriously, what the hell?

"Shuuuheeeei~"

"I'm not going to talk to you." He muttered darkly as he continued with his Zanjutsu training, still a little mad that **_that _**was the reason behind her actions.

Hisagi Shuhei tuned everything out as he continued his practice. He still doesn't like to call upon Kazeshini's Shikai form, so he had decided to make sure that he will be so skilled at Zanjutsu that he wouldn't need to rely on his Shikai unless absolutely necessary. That doesn't mean that he will not train himself in using Kazeshini's released form to its fullest extent, but he wants to make it such that using his Zanpakuto's ability will only be a last resort.

The clang of metal brought him out of his thoughts when that familiar nodachi blocked his blade and the petite girl looked up at him while blinking her eyes in that mischievous manner.

"Need a sparring partner? I won't talk, I promise. Just a good old Zanjutsu spar. Take it as an apology from me. I'm sorry, Shu. I went too far in that prank."

He can sense the sincerity in her voice even though he was still irritated that _he _of all people had to experience that terrifying Raining Sakura phenomenon. Still, this is his best friend and he is not one to hold grudges in the first place.

"Just don't do _that _the next time. You know _what _I'm talking about."

"Okay!" She chirped back and Shuhei can't help but blink twice. Was he seeing things? Did Kurui look a little sad just now?

Must be his imagination.

The day ended with him losing the Zanjutsu spar again. It was to be expected, considering that Kurui had always been excellent in this area of combat.

Those mackerels she treated him for dinner were really good though.

* * *

"What are you mumbling about?"

"Rukia? What are you doing here?"

"Taking a night stroll." Rukia responded as she sat herself beside Kurui on the wooden porch where the girl was lying on her stomach and plucking the petals of the flower in her hand one by one while mumbling something under her breath. Rukia frowned. It is not like Kurui to have such a heavy expression on her face.

"What's bothering you? You are usually a lot livelier."

"It's nothing." Kurui sighed as she threw the unlucky flower away. "Just me being stupid and emotional. I'm an idiot."

"You _are _a genius."

"Nah." Kurui waved it off as she supported her head by resting her chin on her palm as the both of them gaze at the full moon in the sky. "Even the smartest of people can easily become idiots under the right conditions. Like me right now. I'm an idiot."

Rukia can feel her eyebrows rising higher and higher at those unusual words. What's with Kurui today?

"How's your Shikai training coming along? Kaien is a good teacher, right?"

"He is." Rukia nodded, wisely deciding not to comment on that obvious change of topic. "My three dances are nearing perfection."

"Your Shikai is really pretty. Ah, if only mine is as pretty as yours and Nii-sama." Kurui sighed out loud as she kicked her legs childishly in the air while lying face down.

"Come to think of it, what's your Shikai? It's like you can do the impossible with all the nonsense you pull off everyday. There's no rhyme nor reason to what you can do."

"That's the whole point, my dear Rukia." Kurui replied cheekily with an equally cheeky grin. "It's supposed to keep you guessing. Between you and me, if the true nature of my Zanpakuto gets out there _will _be less than savoury creatures out for my head. Only Sofu, Nii-sama and Captain Commander will know what it truly is because I let them. Some of the older Captains might have their own suspicions, like Captain Kyoraku or Captain Ukitake and especially Captain Unohana, but I never confirmed anything. They are some of the oldest Captains around so it is kinda hard to fool them."

"That bad?" Rukia asked in concern.

"Bad only because even Soul Society isn't safe. Look what happened to me. I nearly got eaten by a hollow and till now we don't even know who's the traitor that stabbed me in the back."

"I'm not sure if there's anything I can do to help, but if you need it, just know that I'm here."

"Thanks, Rukia." Kurui said softly with a smile. "This means a lot to me, really. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Rukia shook her head in fond exasperation. "We are sisters, right?"

"Uh huh." Kurui nodded before that usual sly look crept up her face once more. "Say, Nii-sama and Hisana-nee did retire to their bedroom _really _early tonight and it was _right after_ dinner. Do you think…"

"Please don't say it." Rukia immediately held out a hand to stop that line of thought from polluting her mind. "I don't want to think about it."

"But Rukia! This concerns the future of the Kuchiki clan! Our cute little nephews or nieces!"

"I don't want to know what goes on in their bedroom. If they are really doing _that_, then all the more we shouldn't disturb them while they are doing the deed."

"Rukia~~~"

"Kurui, no."

"Please?" Kurui blinked her eyes at her in that manner of faux innocence. "We just tiptoe to outside their bedroom _really stealthily_ and if we hear any weird noises we boot the hell out of there? Take it as stealth training?"

"I don't want to _die _by Raining Sakura." Rukia hissed back. "Are you crazy?! Byakuya-nii sama is a Captain! **_Captain!_** There's no way he couldn't sense us!"

"Will it be better if we drag Renji along then? If we die we all die together?"

"No!"

"Yes…?"

**"NO!"**

* * *

"Stop daydreaming." Kuchiki Byakuya gently knocked his knuckle on the top of his sister's head. She had been spacing out in her room for the past two hours in that same position he last saw her in. The book in her lap is still on the same page. She had obviously never read a single thing on it.

"Nii-sama~"

"Really, Rui. What's on your mind?" Byakuya asked in concern as he sat beside his little sister. It's not just him. His wife, Rukia, Renji. All of them had observed that Kurui had been spacing out a lot as of late. This is very unlike her. It's rare that all of them are free to spend time with each other in the first place and when they finally had a few days to spend some quality time as a family, the first thing they notice is how Kurui will just space out at the most random of times.

"I kind of miss Sofu, you know?" Kurui said with a sigh as she took out the tea set that the Captain Commander had given her to brew some tea for the both of them. It used to be for three, now it is for two. Maybe he should pull his wife, Rukia, and Renji together for some tea sessions with Kurui later. That might cheer her up.

It also didn't escape his notice that his sister had purposely diverted his attention away by mentioning their grandfather. It is no lie that she misses him, but whatever is causing her to daydream is definitely not because she misses their grandfather.

But if she really doesn't want to say what's really on her mind, then he won't push too hard. He will be there for her until whenever she wants to open up, because he is her big brother, her Nii-sama.

They both enjoy the tea in silence. The only sounds are the breeze entering the room through the window and the occasional chirps of birds outside.

"Nii-sama?"

"Yes?" He perked up when his sister asked him a question. Is there something she wants to talk to him about?

"How did you know when you…" Kurui trailed off in uncertainty, something _very _unlike her. Kurui is never uncertain. "Uhm, you know,_ like somebody else?_"

The thunder boomed, he froze, the teacup in his hand shattered, his_ **entire world** _shattered.

"You… like... somebody?"

_Who is it? _Which scoundrel stole his precious little sister's maiden heart? **WHO?!** Is he the reason why Kurui has been acting like that for the past few days? Oh he is so going to go all Bankai on that _swine _and **_nobody_**, even the Captain Commander, can stop him.

"I don't know!" Kurui whined as she kicked up a tantrum before spotting the shattered teacup. "And **Nii-sama!** My teacup is _innocent!_ This is the one that the Captain Commander gave to me too! Now the set is _incomplete!_ Waaahh~"

"I will get you a better one." He quickly promised his little sister lest she starts moaning and crying about the teacup for the whole of the next month. It won't surprise him if she really did so considering how much she loves this particular tea set because it is one that the Captain Commander had personally given her as a gift. "But Rui, **_who _**is it?"

"Not telling!" She stuck her tongue out at him in a defiant manner as she propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her palms. "I don't want it to be Raining Sakura or he might hate me! And answer my question!"

"You answer my quest-"

"No, **_you _**answer my question first because I asked first!"

The siblings glared at each other as sparks danced between their eyes. In the end, Byakuya relented as he gave in with an audible sigh.

"I guess the first signs will be that you cannot stop thinking about her, or in your case, him. Everything that person does will seem so right to you. All you would think about is what you can do for that person and you will never ask for anything in return. All you want is for them to be happy. That's how you know that you like somebody."

"Ah…" Kurui let out another sigh as she visibly deflated and Byakuya's eyes narrowed.

"It's that Hisagi, isn't it?"

"His name is _Shuhei_." Kurui clicked her tongue in annoyance, indirectly confirming his suspicion. He should have known. _Of course_ it has to be him.

"What did he do to you?" Byakuya immediately pressed on, feeling a sense of worry and anger that he had never felt before. If that scoundrel dared to hurt his precious little sister in _any _way he is so going to **_pay_**. "Did he touch you inappropriately? Did he say something that hurt you? Did he insult your honour? **_What _**did he do? Rui, this is important. _Stop _hiding your face and answer me properly."

"No, no, no, no." Kurui answered each of his questions in turn as she continued to hide her face with her palms. "Shu is nice. Really really nice. It's just… just… I never thought that I would… I treated him as my best friend! MY BEST FRIEND! I never wanted to pursue any form of… that kind of relationship! But then when I realised it I just can't stop thinking about him and then everything I did just reminds me of him and then what if we cannot be friends anymore and- ARGH! **I DON'T KNOW OKAY?!** I'M PRETTY SURE HE HATES ME NOW AFTER WHAT I DID! THAT RAINING SAKURA! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

Oh, that.

"Uh, sorry?"

"It's not your fault, it's mine." Kurui said listlessly as she went back to moping around and drawing circles on the tabletop with a finger. "I never thought that I would fall in love, Nii-sama. Thought that I would never need a man in my life because I am the mighty Kuchiki Kurui. Love is beneath me. And then he comes into my life like a silent breeze and before I knew it all I ever think about now is him. I _don't know _how to _love_, Nii-sama. I don't know what that word means other than looking it up with a dictionary. I even gave him a kiss on his cheek to see if he likes me. He's pissed about that. Like really pissed, so I laughed it off as a prank. Great. Now things are awkward for both of us."

Byakuya wanted to sigh, but he knows that is not an appropriate response when his little sister actually worked up the courage to confide such a private thought to him. For once, she is genuinely looking for proper advice.

"If it's any consolation, I won't rain petals on him anymore if it caused so much trouble for you."

"It's not about that anymore." Kurui clicked her tongue once again. "I'm just not sure if he's really not interested in me or if he doesn't get the hint. Everything I did is with his best interests in mind, you know? Like when I keep forcing him to use his Shikai to get over his fear of Kazeshini. Even when I set you on him to let you rain your petals of doom on him like hellfire. I really want him to awaken his Bankai as soon as possible and nothing is a better teacher than experience itself. Especially if it's a near death experience because as long as you survive it, you will grow stronger."

His sister rambled on and on with a soft expression on her face, no doubt thinking about that thrice damn Hisagi that had somehow stolen her heart.

"I told you how I managed to survive long enough for Kaien to reach me that time, didn't I? How I really invoked my true Shikai to save myself. Let's face it. We all know that something bad is coming. Times are changing. The Sereitei is slowly getting more and more dangerous to live in and I don't want him to get hurt for whatever reasons, so I want him to get stronger as quickly as possible. I want him to unlock his Bankai. I know he can do it. He's just too scared of himself because he's just so kind. Too kind to be a Shinigami and yet saddled with that kind of power. The power over life and death, that's Kazeshini."

Byakuya found himself at a loss for words as memories from that day assaulted him once more. Kurui's Shikai is a scary thing to face if used right. People will fear her for what it can do. It is how she kept doing the unexplainable even if in public, he acted like he also didn't know what her Shikai is and what it does in order to better protect her. The lesser people who know, the better. Her unreasonably powerful ability might explain that assassination attempt on her even if they quickly ruled her Shikai out as the reason behind that attempt on her life. There are better ways the assassin could go about doing the assassination if that really was the case.

"If you truly like him, then there is nothing that I can do to help you when it comes to the matter of the heart, Rui." Byakuya held in his sigh as he gave her his answer. "This is something that only the two of you can solve. Nobody else can."

"Figured that was the case." Kurui continues to draw her imaginary circles on the tabletop listlessly. "Nevermind. For now I'm satisfied with our current relationship. We have hundreds and thousands of years as souls anyway. I'm not in a real rush. Just seeing and teasing him everyday makes me very happy already."

Kurui let out another long sigh.

"Who would have thought I would fall for him of all people? I'm hopeless. I never wanted to fall in love."

"This is why people call this phenomenon _falling _in love." Byakuya reminded his sister. "Like the physical act of falling, you cannot help it but let it drag you along for the ride. When it happens, it happens. You cannot control it. It is nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Wow, my Nii-sama is so wise."

Byakuya can feel his lips twitching at the tone his little sister used. Well, at least she is back to normal seeing that the usual mischievous look had returned.

"I won't interfere with what you want to do about your relationship with Hisagi now that I heard what you said, but as a Lady of the Kuchiki clan, there are some lines that you cannot cross if the both of you ever decide to pursue a romantic relationship. At least, wait until marriage like how Hisana and I did."

"I know, I know." Kurui lazily waved it off. "You worry too much. That blockhead won't even _think _about it. Geez, it's like he doesn't even _see _me as a woman. Do I not have boobs, huh? I know they are a little on the small side but hey! Pretty sure I am one of the prettiest women walking around in the Seireitei! Look at my beautiful black hair! So smooth and silky! Is he blind like Captain Tosen?"

"Rui." Byakuya frowned as he took a sip of his tea. "_Language_."

"There's only us here. Who cares about language? Like fuck it all, right?"

_"Rui."_

"On a side note, how's it coming along with Hisana-nee?" That sly look appeared on her face once more as Kurui wagged an eyebrow at him in a suggestive manner. "You know, the baby making? Last night must be a_ very hectic_ night for the both of you, eh? You two never went to bed so early before and the both of you woke up later than usual this morning."

"I'm leaving." Byakuya stood to leave immediately with Kurui's laughter sending him off. She and her incessant teasing.

Still, Byakuya cannot help but let a small smile rest on his face. At least she's not moping about anymore. The things he does for his precious little sister.

Then again, it is what older brothers do.


	14. Chapter 14- Monster Hair Phenomenon

"**WHAT** do you mean Captain Shiba went **_missing_**?"

"Exactly like I said, Vice-Captain Kuchiki." Toshiro said in irritation. He already has too many things to handle upon his Captain's disappearance. He is really not in the mood to be entertaining the annoying Kuchiki girl that is his Vice-Captain.

"All we know is that Captain had made a visit to the Human World. As to where exactly, we don't know. All we know is that it has been two weeks since then and no one is able to find neither hide nor hair about him."

Kurui did an audible click of her tongue as she folded her arms. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere, as if contemplating about some nonsensical nefarious scheme about the 101 things that could have happened to Shiba Isshin.

"I see. Thanks for the info, Shiro-kun."

"It's _Hitsugaya-san_ to you, Vice-Captain Kuchiki." Toshiro emphasised, his right eyebrow twitching in obvious annoyance.

"Eh, only when you managed to grow taller than me. Until then, Shiro-kun!"

Kurui vanished in a flicker as she did a cheery wave, leaving Toshiro behind as he shouted at her disappearing form. She's only taller than him by three centimeters. THREE!

"IT'S **_HITSUGAYA_** TO YOU, KUCHIKI!"

"IT'S **_VICE-CAPTAIN_** KUCHIKI TO YOU, SHIRO-KUN!"

* * *

It's not all that bad, living in the Human World.

Sure, he had lost his powers and there is a high chance that he might never get it back. He is now powerless and defenceless against any enemies that he might have made as a former Captain of the Gotei 13. If Yamamoto found out about what he did, he had no doubt that the strict elder will order the execution of himself, Masaki, and maybe even the whole of his clan. Just because he broke the laws of Soul Society.

But did he regret saving Masaki?

No, he didn't.

He still finds it a pity that he can no longer hear Engetsu's voice but he knows his partner will understand. If all goes well, their separation will only be temporary. It will be hard for him, living the life of a human as a Shinigami. While he is now a human, he is still in essence, a Shinigami. Assuming that he doesn't get himself killed while still in human form, he will definitely live to see the passing of his wife and children, if he ever got around to having any. And when Masaki passes on, his powers will return.

To live long enough to see the passing of his entire family if he ever has one. That is the price he will have to pay.

Right now, he and Urahara are working on trying to adapt him to living in the Human World. He is currently learning about medicine since he has some knowledge of it as Shiba Isshin. If all goes well, he will be able to get a doctor's license in the human world by the end of the year so that he can have a stable job.

He let out a sigh as he took a break from reading all the boring medical books that Urahara had so generously donated to him. From where the weird shopkeeper found them, Isshin had no clue.

He stood up and walked to the kitchen of his small apartment to get a drink. Urahara had offered him a job in his little shop but Isshin had refused. While he is grateful to the man for helping him save Masaki, he still doesn't fully trust him. There isn't a single soul that isn't Yoruichi that can ever get a good read on him. For now, Isshin works part-time in a few odd jobs around town to get by, managing to secure a small apartment for himself. Hopefully, this arrangement can last him until he gets his doctor's license.

His jaw nearly dropped onto the ground when he saw who was sitting on his kitchen countertop.

"Hi Captain Shiba! Glad to see you are alright!"

Isshin closed his eyes, took a deep breath, did a mental count to ten, and opened his eyes again.

Nope, his eyes are working fine. Kuchiki Kurui is indeed waving at him in that usual cheery manner. Her Shinigami robes had been changed into human clothes. Is she using a Gigai? That has to be it. There's no other way she can interact with him otherwise. He had lost his ability to interact with Souls and Hollows the moment he lost his powers and became an ordinary human.

Still, just _where_ did she get a Gigai from?

"Kurui-chan." He breathed out a sigh and rested his forehead against his palm. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but…"

"Don't worry! I won't tell a single soul about what happened! Pinky promise!"

"Thank you." Isshin thanked the teenage girl sincerely. While Kurui's actions can be described as weird, she is fiercely loyal to her friends. If she gave her word, she will see it through unless she has very good reasons to go back on it.

"_Mou_~ Life will be so boring without you around! Who will tease Shiro-kun with me now that you are gone! Our 'Make-Shiro-Youthful-Again Project' now has to be put on indefinite hiatus! _Wah_~"

"I'm sure you alone are able to make him youthful again." Isshin let out a hearty laugh, one that he hadn't had in the confusing two weeks in the Human World. He then narrowed his eyes at her.

"You won't get into trouble for sneaking here, will you? And where did you get a Gigai from?"

"Have some faith in me, Captain!" Kurui flapped her arms animatedly as she threw a mini tantrum. "I am the awesome Kurui! I fooled the entire Second Division!"

"Of course, how could I forget about that?" Isshin drawled out in amusement. It's true Kurui's skills in stealth are almost second to none. The only ones that can match her are probably Sui-Feng and Yoruichi. If Kurui doesn't want to be found, then she wouldn't be found.

"And this Gigai is pretty cool, isn't it? I got it from clown-face!"

"Mayuri? How did you manage to get one from _him_?"

"Well, I _may or may not_ have just waltzed into the Twelfth Division empty handed and I _may or may not_ have accidentally grabbed onto a Gigai that _happened_ to be in the right place and at the right time…"

"You mean you stole it." Isshin deadpanned. _Of course_ she did. What made him think otherwise?

"I didn't say that!" Kurui exclaimed as she pointed an accusing finger at him. "Everything was just a happy _coincidence!_ **Coincidence!** Lady Luck was smiling at me! I am a lucky person! Believe it!"

"Yeah, and black youthful hair will grow on old Yama's shining head again." Isshin snorted before realising that something is very, very wrong.

His feelings became one of dread when he finally noticed the eerie silence from the girl, who is now stroking her chin in thought as her head angled upwards at 45 degrees.

"Hmm… That seems to be a nice idea…"

"You can't be serious."

"Why not? I mean, can you _imagine_ it? Captain Commander with **_HAIR?!_**"

"No."

"See?! That is precisely the point!"

"Kurui-chan, no."

"Kurui-chan, yes!"

"That aside, I have a favour to ask of you." Isshin diverted Kurui's suicidal thoughts away as his composure got a little more serious. "I know it is a lot to ask, but if you can, help me to take care of-"

"I will help the Shiba clan if they ever need it. I will try my best. You can count on me, Captain."

"Thanks." He said sincerely as he ruffled her hair fondly. "That means a lot to me."

"Weeeeell, it comes at a price…"

"Alright, you little terror. Name your price." He said in amusement and in mock anger.

"If you ever become a father, I will be the godmother of your children?"

"No. You will definitely terrorise them with your antics and traumatise them for life."

"What about just your firstborn then? Just your firstborn! _Pleeeeeeeeeeassssee_? Pretty pretty please?"

"You are asking me to offer my firstborn to you? What are you? A devil?"

"Muahaha! I am the Devil Kurui! The incarnation of sacrifice! Offer your firstborn to me or- ACK!"

"Alright, whatever, I offer my firstborn to you as sacrifice and now you are my firstborn's godmother." Isshin said in amusement as he chopped his hand down on Kurui's head, cutting her off before she went ranting on and on with her evil monologue. She will never stop otherwise. "Happy now?"

"Very!" Kurui cheered as she continued to chat with him just like old times. Isshin indulged her. They both know that it will be at least a few decades, if not a century, before they can talk to each other like this again.

But why is his sixth sense screaming at him that it was a wrong choice to let Kurui be his firstborn's godmother?

* * *

"So this is the result?"

Gin looked on with Yachiru at the small container of cream resting in Kurui's hand. She's crazy. This is madness. The three of them had done some really nasty and ballsy pranks before but nothing can be compared with what they are scheming right now.

"I had to practically blackmail clown-face with everything I have to get him to create this 'Youthful Black Hair Regrow Cream'. We only have enough for three tries so we abso-really-lutely _cannot _fail, Ginny, Yachiru. I cannot stress this enough."

"Yay! Captain Commander with hair!"

"Only if we managed to somehow get him to apply it on his shining bald head." Gin helpfully reminded the Vice-Captain of the Eleventh Division. "There's no way he's going to let us do that to him."

"That makes it all the more fun, ne?"

"Enough for three tries, right?" Gin asked Kurui for confirmation which she returned with a solemn nod. A snakish grin slowly worked its way on his face.

"Then how 'bout a little competition? Each of us has only one try to make our dear Captain Commander's barren head grow hair again. Whoever managed it first is the winner and the holder of the title 'Ultimate Prankster of the Seireitei', how 'bout it?"

Judging from how both Kurui's and Yachiru's eyes lit up at his proposal, Gin knew that they had accepted his challenge.

Oh this will be _fun _alright.

* * *

Look left.

No guards. Good.

Look right.

One guard. Wait for him to pass by… now!

With a hop and a leap, Kusajishi Yachiru silently leapt to the wooden beam above without any guards in the First Division barracks noticing her presence. She felt for the small bottle of cream hidden in her robes. Good, it's still there.

She will be the first to complete the best prank of the century! She will be the one to hold the title of 'Ultimate Prankster of the Seireitei'! She will make Ken-chan proud and Rui-chan and Ginny acknowledge her as their better!

Like Kurui, sneaking around is her specialty. Evading the silly guards of the First Division is no problem to her. These buffoons are too stupid and slow!

Her idea is a simple yet brilliant one. The objective is to make old man Yama grow hair, right? Then it's simple! She will simply mix her portion of the 'Youthful Black Hair Regrow Cream' into his shampoo! That's it! All she has to do is to sneak into the Captain Commander's bathroom and **tada**! Black hair old man Yama!

She purposely picked a time where she knew the strongest being in Seireitei is out of the First Division barracks. It wasn't hard to get Ken-chan to do something silly that warrants the old man to get out of the First Division to scold Kenny like he always does for accidentally destroying something again. This is her only chance!

She pressed her back against the wall outside of the Captain Commander's room and pressed her ear against it. Nobody's inside as far as she can tell. Good. She slowly and silently slid the shoji door little by little and took a peek. Nobody. Nothing. She quickly entered the room she wasn't supposed to be in, closed the door behind her and carefully tiptoed around the traps she can spot that the Captain Commander set in his room to catch any would-be invaders.

Like an Onmitsukido, she stealthily and quickly checked the bathroom. Nothing. Another quick sweeping look of her surroundings got her to spot the bottle of what must be shampoo. Even bald people have to use shampoo to take care of their scalp, she checked with Pachinko Head to be double sure about that. With great glee, she opened up the bottle of Youthful Black Hair Regrow Cream and was about to mix it in-

"Vice-Captain Kusajishi."

She let out a high-pitched _EEK _and she might have jumped several meters up in fright. She slowly turned around while shaking with a sheepish smile on her face.

"C-C-Captain Commander? Uh, Hi Captain Commander! I was about to see if you have any sweets like usu-"

The Captain Commander's gaze merely travelled to the bottle of Youthful Black Hair Regrow Cream in her hand, which Yachiru swiftly hid behind her back before her real motives were exposed.

"Sweets are in the kitchen, not in the bathroom."

"R-Right! I must have gotten lost on the way here! Hehehe…"

Yachiru slowly inched her way out towards the exit under Shigekuni Yamamoto's watchful gaze. She was about to walk out of the room and swiftly bolt out of here when the aged warrior called after her once more.

"Vice-Captain Kusajishi."

"Y-Yes?!" She froze in her movements with her back ramrod straight upon the sudden calling of her name. Strange, she's usually not so afraid of this old man but getting caught red-handed like that really made her shiver all over for some reason.

"I like my head the way it is."

Aw crap. He knew.

* * *

This is really a tricky prank to pull off, but hey! If he could do it while the other two Vice-Captains can't, then it means that _he _is the Ultimate Prankster of the Seireitei, right? 'Sides, he's the Captain here! There's no way he's gonna to lose to two Vice-Captains!

He doesn't know what Yachiru and Kurui are gonna do to be perfectly honest with himself, but he has his own plan. The sun had been rather harsh lately and many people had gotten lots and lots of sunburns when they were up and about doing their patrols. Guess what would be selling like hotcakes right now?

Sunblock.

He's darn sure that even the Captain Commander applies sunblock nowadays because that's how hot the Seireitei is right now. The sun rays are merciless. The Captain Commander goes on his patrols rather regularly and that means that he _has _to apply sunblock rather regularly too. And if there's one thing that Gin knows for sure, it's that the Captain Commander applies sunblock at the top of his head too! Because that's the area where the sun _will _constantly shine on!

Gin cannot help but snigger at the thought of his grand plan. If he succeeded, not only will the Captain Commander grow hair on the top of his head, he will grow hair _everywhere _on his body! Like a hairy monster! This is it! This will be the _ultimate _prank in the history of Seireitei! Muahahaha!

_This_, is called _strategy_. Sticking by Aizen's side for so long has its upsides, it seems.

"Come and see! Come and see! Hot deals! Buy one get two free!"

He decided to take this chance to make a killing by actually setting up a random stall at the road right outside the First Division barracks and selling _actual _sunblock. Why give up the chance to make a quick buck when it's right in front of you?

And there's now a _loooooong _queue of Shinigamis waiting to buy his sunblocks. So long that he is starting to believe that the only thing longer is the released form of Shinso. Still, his target had not appeared yet. He's still waiting for _him _to come out.

He wasn't disappointed. It took everything he had to control his excitement when the Captain Commander himself walked out of the barracks to see what was causing all this commotion.

"Captain Commander!" Gin waved excitedly at Shigekuni Yamamoto in his usual energetic self. "You want some sunblock? Buy one get two free! While stocks last!"

The Captain Commander's facial expression didn't give anything away, but the aged warrior walked up nonetheless as the long queue of shinigamis greeted their Captain Commander when they spotted him. The aged warrior merely acknowledged them with a nod of his head and waved at them with a hand to get them to continue whatever they were doing.

Gin wasted no time in selling his product to his Captain Commander.

"Best product ya would ever find in the Seireitei, Sir! Made from the best herbs and has this refreshing smell that keeps you energised the whole day! Protects ya from the sun and the elements and totally waterproof! Tested it myself and I have to say it's the best sunblock I'd ever used! Whaddya say, Captain Commander? Want one? I can even give ya a free sample! How 'bout it?"

The Captain Commander merely looked at the sunblocks on display with a deep look of contemplation. A little push is needed then.

"I can even give ya a ten- no, **_twenty _**percent discount!"

"Five bottles then."

Yes! YES! HE TOOK IT! HIS PRANK IS DONE! IT'S A SUCCESS! **HE'S NOW THE UNDISPUTED ULTIMATE PRANKSTER OF SEIREITEI!**

"Coming right up!" Gin immediately packed the sunblocks into a bag. These are the special ones that he made that have the Youthful Black Hair Regrow Cream mixed in it just for his dear Captain Commander. Just imagining the Captain Commander applying these to his body and then- MUAHAHAHA!

"I even packed another ten extra because it's buy one get two free! Nice doing business with ya, Captain Commander!"

Yamamoto merely gave a nod as he handed over the payment before hobbling off with the bag of modified sunblocks in hand. Yes! HE DID IT! THE PRANK IS DONE! WOOHOO!

There's no ruining his good mood. Gin turned back to the queue and got right back to attend to his long queue of customers with renewed gusto. The faster he finishes, the faster he can use his earnings to throw a big party and celebrate! Woo!

"Come and see! Come and see! Hot deals! Best sunblock in the Seireitei! Even our dear Captain Commander bought some! Buy one get two free! Buy one get two free!"

* * *

"Captain, what's that?"

"Hmm?" Yamamoto took a look at what his Vice-Captain is pointing at. "Oh? That bag? I recently bought some really good sunblock from Ichimaru. I plan to give it out to our men because patrolling in this hot weather has been taking its toll on them. Sunburns aren't pleasant."

"That's nice of you, Captain. Do you need me to help distribute among our men?"

"That will be a great help. Please do, Chojiro."

And thus when Chojiro walked out of Yamamoto's office with the bag in hand and a skip in his steps, he totally missed the faint smirk on his Captain's face and the low chuckle he gave out.

_'Trying to prank **me**? The two of you are at least a thousand years too early, brats.'_

* * *

"Captain Commandeeeeer!"

"Vice-Captain Kuchiki." Yamamoto greeted when the girl wriggled into his office from the window again. He took a look at the clock. It's a little late. Kurui usually don't visit him at this hour.

"You have to help me, Captain Commander! You have to!"

"I already did." Yamamoto said slowly while stroking his long beard. "I didn't let Vice-Captain Kusajishi or Captain Ichimaru succeed, did I?"

"B-B-But that would only mean a draw between us at most!" Kurui waved her arms animatedly and held up a small container in her palm. "To be the true Ultimate Prankster of Seireitei I have to make you grow hair on the top of your head using this Youthful Black Hair Regrow Cream!"

Yamamoto let out a low hum as he gave the issue some thought.

"You have a minute to convince me. Starting from now."

"Uh, uh!" Kurui visibly flustered for a second at the sudden chance given to her before starting to go on her tirade. "Firstly, you are the Captain Commander! People look up to you for your strength, right? So what's the first impression they get when they see you? An old man! An old man with _no _hair and the only hair left are _white _hairs because of the long beard! And uh, uh, that's not really an inspiring image to new Shinigamis that just joined the Gotei Thirteen, right? You must look strong! Strike fear into thy hearts of the enemies! If our enemies fear you then it's half the battle won! And what is the best way to strike fear into our enemies' hearts? A YOUTHFUL you! The you in your prime! And what way is better than making you youthful again? YOUTHFUL **BLACK **HAIR! The Genryusai in his prime! The one who single handedly defended Soul Society from Yhwach with nothing but a raging inferno by his side! One swing created fire! Two swings created a burning hell! Three swings brings about utter destruction and that was you with youthful **black **hair! That's the Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto that we all know! The Captain Commander in his _prime!_ The youthful one! This Youthful Black Hair Regrow Cream can do just that, to give you a better image!"

Yamamoto simply stared at the girl.

"That's it?"

"**_That_** wasn't convincing enough?!" Yamamoto watched on with amusement as Kurui nearly screeched at his question. "Uh, then, then-! Ah ha! Imagine if you have black hair on top and white hair at the bottom! Black hair and white beard! Perfect balance of black and white, Yin and Yang! Like how we Shinigamis maintain the balance of the worlds because it is our job! As the Captain Commander, the **_leader _**of **_all _**Shinigamis, you should embody this very meaning of Shinigamis! Perfectly balanced! As all things should be! It starts from **you**! It starts from your **hair**! Perfect ratio of black and white to signify the balance! That's why you need the Youthful Black Hair Regrow Cream!"

Yamamoto continues to stroke his long beard, glad that his beard and mustache are as long as they are because it hid his amused smile from view. Perfect balance. Honestly, he was more than just a little convinced by her logic.

"I will try it out for a week, then I will decide if I really want that new look."

He shook his head in amusement when Kurui literally jumped in the air in joy.

"YAY! YOU ARE THE **BEST!** YOU ARE THE BEST CAPTAIN EVERRRRRRR! WOOHOO!"

* * *

That one week was the most bizarre one week ever.

For one, the entire First Division save a few lucky members grew hairs from all over their body. Face, arms, legs, some in areas that cannot be properly described and for the best interests of everyone should _never _be described. It was not a gradual growth of hair either. It's like those hairs magically sprouted overnight from almost any place on the human body that nobody could ever imagine. The screams on that fateful morning when everyone in the First Division barracks woke up and saw the hairy monstrosity that their fellow Shinigamis had become was the alarm clock for the entire Seireitei that day. Rumours have it that even souls living in the outer districts had heard the screams.

As for how monstrous the length the hairs could grow, the length of the magical youthful black hair that had suddenly grown without reason could easily be over a meter on average. That was the average length it reached in one night. The record for the longest hair grown so far was 20.20 meters. People are still waiting for someone to grow hair that exceeded that legendary length. To date, 20.20 meters was still the record of the reigning champion, Sasakibe Chojiro.

It wasn't long before there was a high demand for shavers because the hair just kept growing back overnight. The First Division officially became the hairiest division. If people of the Seireitei spotted a bunch of walking bundles of hairs going about doing their patrols in that one week then there's no doubt they come from the First Division. It's a wonder how most of them are able to even walk in a straight line given how most of them have their unnatural hair growing out of their faces itself and thus obstructing their line of sight. Seeing members of the First Division tripping over their hair and yelling in pain at something pulling at their hair while they were on their job soon became the favourite pastime of the entire Seireitei.

This incident was soon dubbed as the Monster Hair Phenomenon and the term 'Monster Hair' was soon added into the books of the Fourth Division's medical books as a legitimate medical term. Rumours had it that some of the hair that some of the First Division Shinigamis grew turned out to be so grotesque that it actually scared the hollows in the outer districts away when the First Division members were doing their patrols over there but that is a story for another day. What people do know is that hollow sightings dropped to an all-time low in that one week. The widely accepted explanation was that even hollows don't like to eat hairy food and none of them would have the patience or skills to skin the hair off their prey and that was that.

Naturally, this phenomenon clearly falls under the Fourth Division to take care of since it is clearly medical related. Captain Unohana wasn't amused at needing to cure this 'sickness' for an entire division of hairy monsters but she was very interested in the cause. Like a detective finally coming across a mysterious case that caught her attention, this incident became her secret side project to investigate. For that one week, Captain Unohana put aside her Captain robes, donned her detective cap and with a large magnifying glass in hand, took up the temporary identity of Detective Unohana.

Detective Unohana soon pinpointed the blame on the Captain of the Twelfth Division, saying that this has to be his work. Captain Kurotsuchi vehemently denied all accusations. And so Detective Unohana dug further into her investigations and soon found out that all of the victims of this Monster Hair Phenomenon had all used the sunblocks the Captain Commander gave out at one point or another to help them from not getting sunburnt when they were out doing patrols under the scorching hot sun. She soon traced the sunblocks to be the handiwork of one Ichimaru Gin.

Ichimaru Gin had made quite a killing from the sales of his sunblocks but the profits he earned was no more because he was now forced to compensate the affected Shinigamis of the First Division in terms of medical fees and _more _shavers. Tears actually leaked from the eyes of the Captain of the Third Division as under Detective Unohana's stern gaze and outstretched hand, he reluctantly took out the necessary cash from his wallet to quell this mess much to everyone's disbelief. _Ichimaru Gin, **crying?!** _How did the tears even manage to make their way out of those slits for eyes?!

The biggest surprise will still have to be the Captain Commander himself.

The Captain Commander was affected by the Monster Hair Phenomenon and grew black hair as well, but it seems that his case was a lot more gentle and thankfully their leader didn't become a hairy monster like what his men turned into. On the first day when the Monster Hair Phenomenon made its appearance, he appeared before the Captains with smooth silky black hair _on the top of his previously **bald **head _and did his hair in the same hairstyle he sported in his youth. Captain Kyoraku and Ukitake both took a trip down memory lane and so did Detective Unohana. The rest of the Captains were simply tongue-tied at the sight. No other Captain's Meeting had felt so memorable than the one held during the week of the Monster Hair Phenomenon. That was a Captain's Meeting that no Captains will forget.

As fast as it had come, the Monster Hair Phenomenon died down soon enough once people realised that Ichimaru Gin's sunblocks were the culprit. Nobody ever bought or used anything of his after that, not even his long time friend Matsumoto Rangiku. The Captain Commander himself also reverted back to his original look as he shaved off the black hair that was on his head for a week, saying that he prefers his aged look over the youthful one. With that, the Monster Hair Phenomenon came to a close and Detective Unohana concluded the case with a shut of her notebook titled 'Analysis of the Monster Hair Phenomenon Volume Thirteen'.

If there's one missing fact that Unohana Retsu knew but never noted down in all her thirteen notebooks, it's that right after the Monster Hair Phenomenon made itself known Kuchiki Kurui had started to walk around proudly claiming herself to be the Ultimate Prankster of Seireitei. She was almost to the point of swaggering around the entire Seireitei as she told everyone she met of her self-proclaimed title. People ignored her as per usual, too used to her eccentricities, but Unohana knew better.

Kurui _must _be involved in this _somehow_.

Still, nothing harmful came out of this and if her Captain Commander didn't say anything when he clearly knows something, who is she to point it out? Although the self-proclaimed title Kurui made for herself kind of fits her.

Ultimate Prankster of Seireitei indeed. Well played, Kurui. Well played.

Detective Unohana approves.


	15. Chapter 15- Words of a Drunkard

"What word should I mention here? Hmm, rule? Nah, too boring. How about…"

Shuhei watched on in partial curiosity and partial disbelief. Discounting that time when she got herself severely injured from that hollow encounter, Kurui is never this quiet. He isn't sure if this is the calm before the storm where she is planning some super secret devious prank to be unleashed across the Seireitei or if something is really bothering her.

Kurui continues to mumble words and sentences that don't make any sense to him and Shuhei simply watches from where they are lounging about in the Ninth Division Barracks. In the end, his curiosity got the better of him and he asked.

"What are you doing?"

"Hm?" Kurui gave him a look, finally pulling herself out of her thoughts. "Oh, I was wondering if I should have an epic monologue whenever I decide to unleash my power and if so, what kind of thing I should monologue about."

Shuhei is sure that his facial expression said it all when he heard that. _This _was why she had been mumbling to herself for three hours straight?

"What?"

"Hey, don't judge! It's cool!" Kurui defended her nonsensical logic with an accusing finger. "I just need something similar to_ I am the Bone of my Sword. Steel is my Body and Fire is my Blood!_ That kind of cool monologue! Then wham! Shikai! Then bam! Bankai! It will be EPIC! Trust me!"

"Sometimes I really have no idea how your brain works." Shuhei shook his head and sighed. He will just chalk this up to another of Kurui's weird quirks. "But _I am the Bone of my Sword_ sounds cool enough to me. Why don't you just use it?"

"Somebody else already did! I need some originality!"

"The only thing that will ever be original is yourself. Why don't you just craft your "epic monologue" that describes you?" Shuhei offered with a yawn. "Or you can just base it around your Shikai's ability. Every zanpakuto is unique, the same as their Shikai and Bankai. Will it be easier this way?"

Kurui went silent for a few seconds, but Shuhei can see her face slowly brightening up into a smile.

"T-That's… AWESOME!" Kurui cheered with her hands high up in the air. "You are the best, Shu!"

"Come to think about it, _what _is your Shikai?" Shuhei questioned, only to earn a mischievous look from Kurui.

"Trust me. It's better if you don't learn about it."

"Why?"

"Curiosity kills the cat, Shu~" Kurui said playfully with a singsong voice and waving a disapproving finger at him. "But if you _really _want to know what my Shikai is, the only way is to force me to use it. Are you _good enough_ to do that?"

"Oh, taunting me now, eh?" Shuhei said with a predatory grin as his hands slowly went to grip onto Kazeshini. "Shall we try it out?"

"I am a _Vice-Captain_, _Third Seat_ Hisagi." Kurui mocked in a haughty tone as she emphasised the difference in rank between the two of them. "You don't stand a chance."

"Never know till I try."

"Kuchiki. _There _you are."

"Oh. HI CAPTAIN SHIRO!" Kurui happily waved at the recently appointed Captain of the Tenth Division, an action that Hitsugaya returned with a scowl. The newly appointed Captain looked at Kurui with obvious irritation from where he was standing at the door, eyebrows twitching in annoyance.

"It's _Captain Hitsugaya_ to you, Kuchiki. You are supposed to be doing _work _back in the barracks, not here in the Ninth Division ditching your work."

"Eh? But I already completed them!"

"Since when?"

"Since an hour ago!" Kurui said with a huff and magically took out a stack of papers from… somewhere. Shuhei blinked his eyes. Where did Kurui take out those papers again? And since when was she doing paperwork? She was mumbling to herself for the past three hours! Certainly not doing paperwork!

Even then, Shuhei knew when to keep his mouth shut when it comes to his best friend. He watched as Captain Hitsugaya took over the stack of papers and quickly looked through them. Surprisingly, the Captain didn't say a word and simply left with the paperwork, meaning that Kurui did complete her paperwork _properly_.

"How?" He asked her that one simple question the moment he is sure Captain Hitsugaya is out of earshot.

"Secret~" Kurui rubbed her palms against each other gleefully. "Do you want to know why Captain Komamura kept me around for so long and why Captain Isshin liked me so much? This is why! I always complete my share of paperwork before they do, no matter how late I started to do it! My motto in life is always play first, work later! And then finish your work faster than everyone else to continue playing as soon as possible!"

"You know what? I give up. I don't want to understand." Shuhei muttered just loud enough for her to hear. Why did he even bother?

"Shu~ You are no fun at all! Live a little! Go out and have fun!"

"You have enough fun for the both of us. That said, you had a hand in the Monster Hair Phenomenon, didn't you?"

"W-What makes you say that?! Ginny's the culprit! Even Captain Unohana said so!" Kurui vehemently denied all accusations with exaggerated shakes of her head but it doesn't fool him at all. He knows her handiwork when he sees one.

"You can fool everybody else, but you cannot fool _me_. The Monster Hair Phenomenon is something you would do just for shit and giggles."

"I told you, I'm _not _the culprit! Besides, if I really want to do something for shit and giggles I will aim for something _waaaaay _BIGGER! Something with more impact! Something with more oomph!"

"Like?"

"Prank the Soul King!"

And that was the moment when Shuhei was stumped into silence once more.

"Rui."

"Yes?"

"Tell me that was just a joke."

"Do I _look _like I'm joking?!"

"Rui, this is the_ Soul King _you are talking about!"

"Well, I bet his life is boring as hell! He needs someone to lighten things up and bring him some joy in his mundane and boring life! If nobody is brave enough to undertake this glorious mission, then I, the awesome Kurui, will!"

"I'm warning Captain Kuchiki." Shuhei immediately got up from his seat. Only the Captain of the Sixth Division has a chance to stop Kurui and her crazy scheme right now. _This is madness_. He can already see the crazed glint in her eyes. She is really hellbent on pranking the Soul King and even when every part of his common sense told him that such a thing is _impossible _because of the Royal Guards protecting him, he wouldn't put it past Kurui to _somehow _make her mad delusions a _reality_.

If Kurui really somehow managed to prank the Soul King, it's doomsday for everyone.

"Shuuuuu~" Kurui immediately grabbed onto his uniform and pulled on it, not letting him leave. "Don't be a spoilsport! Oh, I know! Let's prank the Soul King _together!_ How about it?"

_"No."_

"Yes!"

"No."

"YES!"

"No."

"No."

"Yes- wait, did you just say-"

"AH HAH! You said YES!" Kurui exclaimed while pointing a finger at him. "There's no going back now, Shu! We are going to prank the Soul King! It will be the _best _prank **_ever!_** BELIEVE IT!"

"We are **_not _**going to do such a thing." Shuhei hissed through his teeth, almost to the point of strangling his best friend because _who the hell_ has the audacity to _prank the Soul King himself_. It's a death sentence!

Predictably, Kurui didn't listen to a single word he said. In fact, she is already in her own little world, planning for her next big prank.

"The first order of business is to figure out a way to get into the Soul King Palace, but _where _is the Soul King Palace in the first place? Maybe I should flip through the clan's library? The Kuchiki clan records may have some clues-"

"Rui, **NO!"**

"Rui, **YES!"**

**"NO!"**

**"YES! YES YES YES YES YEEEEEEEESSSS!"**

* * *

"This is boring! Boring! **BORING!"**

"If you have so much energy and time to shout and yell you might as well use it to practice your calligraphy."

"But Nii-sama-"

"No buts." Kuchiki Byakuya stated with a firm voice and pointed at her paper with a finger. "Continue writing."

"I've been going at it for _four _hours!"

"You will continue to write _until _you get that crazy idea _out _of your head. You will **_not _**do anything as foolish as _pranking the Soul King._"

"ARRGGHH! SHU! YOU LITTLE TATTLETALE! THIS IS ALL _YOUR _FAULT, YOU HEAR ME?!" Byakuya watched calmly as his little sister yelled in frustration towards the direction of the window. On the table where his sister is seated lies a big piece of paper, written with lines after lines of _'I will not prank the Soul King'_. Not only that, he made her write these lines with _perfect _handwriting, a slow and arduous process for Kurui. He knows that the one thing she dislikes the most is calligraphy, so that is what he made her do as punishment.

He is also here to personally supervise his troublemaking little sister and ensure that she really goes through the corrective punishment he sets for her. If it were anyone else she would have easily given them the slip, but that is not possible with _him _around.

Anything to dissuade his problematic and troublemaking little sister from making her mad delusions a reality. He really owes Hisagi one for warning him of Kurui's big plans and to nip the problem in the bud before it could even be allowed to bloom into fruition.

"Hisana-nee! Help me! Nii-sama is evil! _EVIL!"_

"You did this onto yourself, Rui." Hisana said with a laugh as she poured some tea for the both of them. "Do your best, Rui!"

"It's just a prank. A PRANK! MUST EVERYONE REACT LIKE THE END OF THE WORLD IS COMING?!" Kurui yelled in frustration as she glared at the piece of paper like it was her mortal enemy. "IT'S NOT LIKE I AM SUPERMAN WANNABE HELLBENT ON FINDING A WAY TO ENTER THE SOUL KING PALACE TO KILL HIM IN ORDER TO TAKE HIS PLACE AND RECONSTRUCT A WORLD IN MY IMAGE OR ANYTHING! I'M JUST GOING THERE FOR A FRIENDLY VISIT! _A FRIENDLY VISIT!_"

"You don't simply go to the Soul King Palace to _make friends."_ Byakuya said in a dry voice. "There is a _very good reason_ why that place is a forbidden ground for us Shinigamis and why we can only enter when we are summoned there."

"And what is that reason?!"

"The Soul King's protection." Byakuya answered without missing a beat. "The Soul King's existence is a lynchpin. His very presence allows the proper regulation of souls in and out of Soul Society and keeps the flow stable. Without him, the Dangai, Hueco Mundo, and the Human World, everything will collapse. There will be no semblance of balance or order to be found across all worlds. As such, the fewer people who know where he resides and how to enter it, the safer he will be."

Byakuya then levelled a stern gaze at his little sister.

"And _that's **why**_ you **_don't _**simply find a way to enter the Soul King Palace to **_prank _**_the Soul King._ A simple mistake on your part may very well doom all three realms."

"But Nii-sama~"

"Protest some more and I will make you practice another four hours of calligraphy."

"You guys are no fun at all! AT ALL! Hisana-nee! Say something!"

"I'm with Byakuya on this matter, Rui."

"Hisana-nee~ Not you too!"

* * *

"So, is it true that you were planning to prank the Soul King?"

"No offense, Captain Kyoraku, but _how_ on earth do _you _know about this too?"

"It's been the talk around town. If there's even a littlest bit of news about a new prank of yours coming up, word spreads fast so that everyone has some time to prepare and brace themselves." Kyoraku Shunsui gave a carefree shrug of his shoulders as he lay beneath the sakura tree in the garden of the Eighth Division, drinking a few sips of fine sake every now and then. The little Kuchiki lay beside him in his favourite secret spot to hide from Nanao and to give himself a break from his usual duties. As to how the Kuchiki even managed to find him in his secret spot in the first place, he has no clue, but Kurui always had been great company and they always skived on their work together, making them great skiving buddies.

"You got the entire Central 46 in a panic, you know that? Your reputation as a prankster is getting a little too notorious. Even old man Yama is personally looking into ways to make sure that any information regarding the Soul King Palace cannot be leaked out through any means necessary. That's how scared people are of you when it comes to your pranks."

"I am the AWESOME Kurui! My pranks are legendary and something to be feared!"

"Too feared, in fact." Kyoraku chuckled. Kurui always does have a knack for being able to find out anything that she wants to know no matter how tightly they are secured under lock and key. Anything regarding the Soul King Palace is highly confidential for obvious reasons and Kurui's recent proclamation got everyone to rethink if the information Soul Society currently has about the Soul King Palace is as secure as they think.

To him, this recent panic that resulted from Kuruiphobia is not exactly a bad thing. Soul Society does indeed have to rethink how certain things should be done or managed. They had stagnated for far too long and stagnation is never a good thing.

"Fine then. If I cannot prank the Soul King then I will do the next best thing!" Kurui declared with an audible huff and folded her arms across her chest, face a little flushed from the amount of sake she had been drinking and obviously a little tipsy. She is surprisingly a good drinker, even if the overprotective Byakuya is very adamant on Kurui not even taking a sip of alcohol.

If only Byakuya knew just how much Kurui drinks behind his back. She is almost worthy enough to be Rangiku's rival in terms of alcohol capacity. Almost.

"And that is?"

"Prank the Central 46!"

"You do _know _that the Central 46 is the most powerful judiciary authority in the whole of Soul Society? If they judge your pranks as treason the entire Soul Society will be after you."

"If they cannot appreciate a good prank then that's not my business. It's because Soul Society is ruled by boring men like them that this place is no fun at all!"

"For the sake of all our sanity, _please _don't go through with that prank of yours, I _beg _you. I have no wish to deal with the resulting headache."

"But Captain Kyoraku! You were _never _involved in my pranks! It's high time we prank someone together and what is better than pranking **_the Central 46?!"_**

"Can we _not _talk about this and instead talk about something else? Like how nice it is to lay here undisturbed and skip out on all the work we are supposed to do in our barracks?"

"_You_ are the one skipping out on your work, Captain. I finished mine a long time ago! I'm just here to simply enjoy myself and drink some of your best sake!"

"Wait, what? This is mutiny! We are supposed to skip out on work _together!_"

"Captain Shiro had been on my case a lot recently, so… Eh, I figured it's best if I finished my work as soon as possible before going back to slacking around. He wouldn't stop harping at me otherwise. And Captain?"

"Yes? What kind of heart attack are you going to give me now?"

"You are still too young to have a heart attack." Kurui snorted. "And by the way, you are already involved in my next prank to prank the Central 46."

"I opt _out_."

"It's not an option."

"Using my _authority _as Captain, I opt out."

"Not~ An~ Option~"

* * *

The past one month has been the scariest month for members of the Central 46. Why, you ask?

Word had gotten around that the infamous prankster of the Seireitei, Kuchiki Kurui, had set her sights on them.

Kuchiki Kurui's pranks are well-known across the Seireitei and even among the 46 of them. She's technically not breaking any existing laws by doing so and so she cannot be faulted for anything. In fact, many of them had a good laugh behind closed doors when they heard about another one of her pranks and what ridiculous reactions it had incited. It made for some interesting conversations behind closed doors.

But when the target of her pranks turned to _them_, suddenly, everything is not as funny as it sounds.

As members of the Central 46, they are entitled to live in a special residential district known as the Seijotokyorin within the Seireitei. For their protection, this place is forbidden for entry to anyone, regardless of their military or civilian status. That said, the Central 46 have no delusions that this will protect them from another of Kurui's pranks, which is why they are now living in constant fear on a daily basis ever since they got wind of the Kuchiki princess declaring her intention to prank the Central 46, courtesy of Kyoraku Shunsui who reported it immediately to the Captain Commander when Kurui first confessed her intentions to him.

Oh sure, as members of the Central 46 their decisions and words are law. They can order Kuchiki Kurui to be imprisoned in the Muken or to be detained in the Nest of Maggots as of immediate effect, but fact is, she had done nothing wrong _yet_. They cannot judge anyone to be guilty of a crime that they had not yet committed. Kurui's sensitive status as a Kuchiki aside, any unfair rulings on their part will shake the faith that the Seireitei has for them, so they can do nothing but wait in fear and hope that the walls of the Seijotokyorin is sturdy enough to make sure that Kurui's pranks will never reach them.

Fear is contagious, and it made the Central 46 do things each more ridiculous than the last over the days. They began to check _everywhere _and _everything _no matter where they went. It became customary for them when they report to work at the Central 46 Compound to check their seats before they sit on it. It became a routine for them to check their clothes for any signs of itching powder sprinkled on it and whether their shoes had been modified somehow. Then it got to the extent that even their flowerpots at home are not spared from the paranoid checks the Central 46 subjected to each and every of their belongings and this happens _every. Single. Day._

It's driving them all crazy.

And so, when they are starting to reach the brink of their sanity and decide that enough was _enough _and _something _needs to be _done_, the Central 46 held an unofficial meeting among themselves to discuss what should be done next. Legally, Kurui is not guilty of any crime, at least not yet, so by the laws set by their predecessors since ancient times they cannot just find Kurui guilty of any charges.

As such, they can only do the next best thing.

The Central 46 ended up ordering the Gotei 13 to keep an eye on Kurui to prevent her from getting into any form of mischief that will affect the Central 46 in any way, shape, or form. If she pulls any prank on the Central 46, she will be sent to the Nest of Maggots, **_immediately_**. No negotiations are allowed and there is no expiry date to this new order passed down from the Central 46.

"See _this?_" Byakuya seethed as he pointed at the written order he had received from Yamamoto himself, who in turn had personally received from the Central 46 before this. The Head of the Kuchiki Clan shoved the written order right in front of his little sister's face, who took it from him and stared at it with a frown that only deepened after she read it. Her face is one of confusion.

"What's with this weird order?"

"What's with-" Byakuya nearly lost his composure and screamed out loud. "Trying to prank the Soul King was one thing. You don't simply try to prank the _Central 46_, Rui! Look at what you had gotten yourselves into this time!"

"Since when?! I _didn't _say anything about pranking the Central 46! I certainly don't remember saying anything like that! Who spreaded this baseless rumour anyway?!"

"You didn't plan to prank the Central 46?" Byakuya asked with a frown. "The entire Seireitei are convinced that you are trying to do so."

"Nii-sama." Kurui stated with a deadpan. "Explain _everything_. From top to bottom, start to end. This is confusing me as well."

And so, Byakuya told the entire story. How Shunsui had gone to find the Captain Commander one day, warning him and the Gotei 13 of Kurui's nefarious thoughts of planning to involve the Central 46 in her next big prank and subsequently, word of it reached the Central 46 before the sun rose the next day. How the Central 46 took an entire _month _to finally issue this ridiculous decree and how she is now on the watchlist of the entire Central 46 and the Gotei 13.

Kurui was visibly unimpressed.

"Nii-sama. I was _drunk_. I certainly didn't remember 99% of what I said that afternoon when I was with Captain Kyoraku." Kurui stated plainly. "Ask him if you need confirmation. I was _drunk_. Like _really _drunk."

"_Drunk?_" Byakuya nearly popped a blood vessel as he repeated that word. "Since _when _did you start to drink _alcohol _behind my back?!"

"Stop overreacting, I've been doing it even before I transferred to the Tenth Division." Kurui waved his words off flippantly with a hand. "And yeah, Captain Kyoraku and I tend to skive off work together to have a drink or two. I _did _have a drink with him about a month ago and I'm not sure what I told him that day, but if the Central 46 took the words of a _drunkard _seriously, then they obviously have issues up _here_."

Kurui pointed at her head with a finger for emphasis upon saying that last part of her sentence before continuing.

"You know, I'm starting to doubt that the Central 46 is comprised of the_ forty wisest men and six judges_ if some random words that I spewed out of my mouth when I was _drunk _caused such a _mayhem_. You _sure _you want to continue to let them rule over Soul Society?"

Worried for his sister's safety, Byakuya wasted no time to relay the conversation that day between the Kuchiki siblings to Captain Yamamoto, word for word. Captain Yamamoto then relayed it to the Central 46 that very afternoon, albeit a lot more censored due to Kurui's blatant disregard and lack of respect to the Central 46, but the core message of the conversation had still been conveyed to the Central 46 regardless.

_You guys are idiots for taking the words of a drunkard so seriously._

Of course, that is also a light slap to the face to the Gotei 13 as well because they too, had overreacted. Captain Kyoraku was punished by the Captain Commander with even more paperwork for inciting needless mayhem throughout the Gotei 13 and the Central 46 that lasted an entire month. Shunsui, being the easygoing man as he is, simply accepted his punishment with a shrug.

Shunsui didn't think too much of the affair until he was doing some of the paperwork he was punished to do one fine night, when he suddenly recalled one innocently sounding sentence that Kurui told him that day.

_"And by the way, you are already involved in my next prank to prank the Central 46."_

It was then the edges of Shunsui's lips curved upwards into a smile before he started to guffaw out loud within the privacy of his office. When his laughter finally died down, he simply shook his head and sighed before taking out another bottle out of his private sake collection and poured himself a drink. The best prank is when the victims themselves didn't even realise that they had gotten themselves pranked. As one of the oldest Captains in the Gotei 13, he should have known. Guess he is really starting to get a little rusty.

With an impressed sigh, Shunsui raised his cup in the air and gave a silent toast to Kurui.

"Well played, Kurui. Well played."

Ultimate Prankster of Seireitei indeed.


End file.
